BtW, ItW 2: Treasure Beyond the Sea
by Apalla
Summary: This is the sequel to "Beneath the Water, In the Waves". I suggest you read that first. Arthur and Alfred have been together for the last few months, happy on their peaceful little island with their friends. Everything is going well, until Alfred's parents arrive. Mpreg, USUK, Franada, GerIta
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Nothing's mine, except the AU idea.**

Chapter 1

September came before anyone knew it. Days were getting colder, leaves were turning gold, and kids were catching the bus to get to school. Pumpkins were being grown for Halloween and Thanksgiving, and turkeys were being fattened up. It was one of Arthur's favorite seasons, really, other than spring. Sadly, though, it also meant that his friends—other than Francis and Feliciano—and his brother would be returning to the seas they came from, since mating season was now over.

The three mermen that were staying stood on Lily Road Beach with their lovers, saying goodbye to their older brothers, and wishing them all a safe journey home.

"You'll remember to tell Mum and the others I'm safe, right?" Arthur asked, feeling something nudge him slightly in the stomach. He reached down unconsciously and patted his growing bump soothingly. Despite the cold, expectant face he was giving his older brother, he felt a little choked up that he wouldn't see his brother until the next full moon.

Calder rolled his eyes and patted his brother's shoulder. "Of course I will, wee brother. Why? Afraid I'll give me own mum a heart attack by lyin' ta her, and sayin' that wee baby Artie got eaten by sharks?" Calder smirked and flashed his unusually sharp teeth at his youngest brother. "What kind of merman da ya think I am, Artie?"

Arthur rolled his eyes, but let his brother give him a firm punch on the shoulder, though he winced and rubbed the bruised skin afterwards.

"And ya better be takin' good care of me baby brother, human," Calder said threateningly to Alfred, who glared at him in return. "Or ya won't have just meself ta deal with anymore. I'll bring the others back with me."

"Yeah, I get it," Alfred grumbled, nodding in agreement. He hoped that when he met his new in-laws that they'd be better than Calder.

"Francis, I'll be back in six or seven months to see the little guppy," Gaul said as he poked his younger brother's growing bump. "So take care of yourself, _oui_?" He smiled at Francis and hugged him gently.

"_Oui, grand frère_, I will," Francis said, trying to hold back his tears. He accepted his brother's hug with a sorrowful sigh, clinging to Matthew when it was over. "And Matthieu will help greatly."

"Oh, you bet I will," Matthew said quietly, blushing when Francis ran his fingers suggestively up his back. "The baby will be taken good care of, and so will Francis."

"Good." Gaul nodded and hugged them both before turning to stand closer to the sea, with Calder following.

Feliciano wasn't as calm as the others. In fact, he was sobbing harshly, one hand gripping Ludwig's arm and the other gripping Lovino's arm.

"Don't go, Lovino, don't go!" he cried, falling to knees and putting his arms around his brother's waist. "Who's going to hit me when I do something stupid? Who's going to tell me bedtime stories and call me a jerk all the time? Don't go!"

"Damn it, Feli, get off of me! It's not like you're never going to see me again, you bastard!" Lovino struggled against his crying brother's grip, eventually managing to push the younger Italian into his German lover's arms.

"He's been pretty emotional lately," Ludwig said, trying to hold Feliciano back. "I'm sorry."

"He's always been emotional, you damn potato-bastard," Lovino hissed, brushing himself off. He glared up at Ludwig. "Remember, if you hurt my little brother, I'm going to hurt you, all right?"

Ludwig nodded and held onto Feliciano tightly, watching Lovino turn and walk toward Calder and Gaul.

"_Arrivederci!" _Feliciano called out sadly, still crying, as Lovino shed his clothes and dove in, disappearing beneath the crystalline tide.

"_Au revoir!" _Francis called out as well, watching Gaul do the same as Lovino.

"_Adeus!" _Arthur called out in Gaelic, watching Calder vanish also.

**Later…**

"So, you're older brother's gone," Alfred began deviously, sneaking up behind Arthur as he locked the front door. They were alone in the house, since Mattie and Francis had bought their own home a few blocks away back in August. Now it was just Arthur and Alfred living in Alfred's house, much to the pleasure of the American.

"And?" Arthur prompted with a smile, turning to Alfred. He wrapped his arms around Alfred's neck, pressing his body against the human's.

"How do you want to celebrate?" Alfred asked, his breath ghosting teasingly over the shell of the merman's ear. While one of his hands stroked Arthur's cheek, the other slipped down to run over his round bottom, causing him to blush and gasp softly.

Arthur tangled his hands into Alfred's hair and pulled his head down until their lips were only a few inches apart. "I love you," he whispered as he leaned up and kissed his human lover passionately. "So much…"

Alfred leaned against the door behind them and lifted Arthur up, so his legs were wrapped around Alfred's waist, and one of his arms was now around Alfred's neck. As Alfred slid his tongue teasingly along Arthur's lips, one of his hands slipped up under the green-eyed blonde's T-shirt, making his merman shudder softly. He ran his fingers gently and lovingly over the growing bump, writing Arthur's name on it with his fingers.

"I love you more," Alfred said as they parted for breath, his hand moving farther up Arthur's body, pushing the shirt up as well. However, as he stepped away from the door with the idea of heading to a place more comfortable—like the couch or a chair, because there was no way he was going to make it upstairs to their bedroom without falling down-the phone rang.

Alfred groaned in annoyance and tried to set a pouting Arthur on the couch as he reached for the phone, but Arthur wriggled enough to get Alfred to back away from the ringing phone. The merman put his arms around Alfred's neck again, gripping the roots of his hair. He leaned forward as the ringing persisted, pressing his lips to Alfred's jaw and licking the nape of his neck.

"Don't answer it," he purred against the trembling American's neck, his warm breath making Alfred blush. "It's probably just bill collectors or something anyway."

Alfred glanced down at the phone as Arthur continued to teasingly nip at his neck. He immediately put Arthur on the couch and answered it, trying not to sound out-of-breath as he did.

_Who the hell is so important that they have to interrupt my seducing of Alfred?,_ Arthur thought impatiently, crawling over to the American. He unbuttoned Alfred's pants and pulled the zipper down, sliding his hand down into the human's boxers.

As his fingers brushed Alfred's half-hard erection, Alfred pushed him away gently, pointing to the phone and mouthing, "It's my dad!"

Arthur's eyes widened as he fixed Alfred's pants and backed away, mouthing an apology as his lust faded.

"Hey, Dad," Alfred said into the phone, his voice completely normal now. "How's Mom?" A pause as Alfred got his response. "That's good!" There was another pause as Alfred's father said something that was apparently too complicated for Alfred to understand. "Sorry, Dad, but do you think you could say that again? You know, in English?"

Another pause.

"You and Mom are going to be here _early_?" A pair of blue eyes and a pair of green eyes widened in horror. "Wait, when's 'early'?" Alfred's mouth hung agape in shock as he choked out, _"Next week?"_

Arthur practically fainted. He wasn't ready to meet Alfred's parents, and what was even worse was that he and Alfred hadn't come up with a completely legit excuse as to why Arthur was kinda "fat".

_This isn't good_, Arthur thought, his hand instinctively flying to his bump. _What are we going to do?_

Before Arthur could react any further, he heard Alfred hang up the phone. He looked up at him worriedly. "Alfred, we have to call Matthew and Francis," he said as he stood up and began to pace anxiously.

"Later," Alfred said, grabbing onto Arthur's wrist. He pulled the shocked merman tightly into his arms, attaching his lips to Arthur's. He pressed against him persistently, pulling him toward the staircase. "We'll call them later. My parents are gonna be here on Monday, and I don't know how long they're staying for. We may not get to have sex for awhile, Arthur."

Arthur's eyes widened and he nodded, eagerly responding to Alfred now. He attacked Alfred's lips, opening them quickly with his demanding tongue. As their tongues wrestled, Arthur began to unbutton Alfred's shirt, practically ripping it off when he got stuck on one of the middle buttons.

"Dude, that was one of my favorite shirts," Alfred said, watching the clean white button-down disappear behind the coffee table.

"Who cares?" Arthur breathed, pulling Alfred's smirking mouth down to his own again. He ran his hands over Alfred's smooth tanned skin, never quite able to get over how beautiful the American was. He was perfect in every way.

Alfred was kind, smart—when he wanted to be—funny, and probably the most optimistic person Arthur knew. His body was like something from a Greek painting, in ever aspect: his muscles were perfect, his skin was soft, his eyes were gorgeous, his hair was silky to the touch…and there was nothing to be ashamed about downstairs, of course.

"Arthur, we gotta go upstairs," Alfred said as the merman yanked off the rest of their clothes. However, at the same time, he allowed Arthur to lower him to the ground and straddle him.

"There's no time," Arthur purred, leaning down to suck harshly on Alfred's neck. As he did, he tweaked Alfred's nipples and ground against him, making the American moan and run his fingers through Arthur's hair.

As Arthur moved down to trace Alfred's collar bone slowly with his tongue, the breathless American sat up and placed three fingers against Arthur's lips.

"Already?" Arthur asked, but took Alfred's fingers into his mouth anyway, swirling his tongue teasingly around them. As he sucked on them, he stared heatedly into Alfred's eyes, making them look like emeralds with fire encased in them.

"If there's no time to call Mattie," Alfred said as he pulled his fingers free, deeming them wet enough, "then there's no time for foreplay." He reached behind the merman and traced the little pink hole, gently pushing the first finger into it slowly.

Arthur whimpered a little in discomfort and shifted a bit, still not entirely used to the weird feeling, despite having had sex with Alfred many time before. (The first month of their official relationship, Arthur had been like a dog in heat…not that either of them had been complaining.) He grabbed onto Alfred's arms as the finger wriggled around inside him, moving in and out repeatedly. After a moment, Alfred's slid the second finger it, kissing the weak spot on Arthur's neck to distract him from the pain. Alfred pumped his fingers into Arthur gently, scissoring and curling them to both stretch Arthur and search for his prostate at the same time, all the while still kissing his neck.

"Alfred!" Arthur gasped out, his grip on Alfred's arms tightening as said American poked a certain bundle of nerves inside him, causing electrical waves of pleasure to course through his body. His cheeks flushed a deeper red than they already were, and a thin sheen of sweat coated his lithe body. He bit his lip as Alfred smirked and began teasingly abusing his prostate, now using all three fingers. Arthur moaned and thrust back against Alfred's fingers, reaching between them and gripping Alfred's neglected cock. With a smirk of his own, he tightly squeezed it as revenge for teasing him, watching Alfred's sea-blue eyes widen in both shock and slight pleasure.

Before he could do anything else, Alfred pulled his fingers out of Arthur's body and gripped the merman's slender hips, positioning him over his member.

"I love you," they said together, kissing each other as Alfred pulled Arthur slowly down onto his cock, making them both moan loudly. Arthur shifted, trying to relax as Alfred suckled his neck and played with his nipples. The feeling of Alfred being inside him, while painful, always made him feel safe for some reason. He supposed that it was because it meant—in its own way—that Alfred truly loved him, and that he wanted to be with him for as long as he possibly could.

"Are you all right?" Alfred asked softly, his hands moving down to rub soothing circles over Arthur's hips and growing stomach. He watched carefully as Arthur's tensed muscles slowly relaxed and he shifted a bit, grinding his hips against Alfred's to test if he was ready.

"I'm okay," Arthur whispered as he found himself relaxed and ready. He raised himself until it was just Alfred's tip inside him, before slamming himself back down, nailing his prostate.

Both moaned and Arthur's sped up, riding Alfred faster and gripping his lover's shoulders while Alfred held his hips and thrust up into him. As Alfred struck his sweet spot over and over, Arthur leaned over and caught Alfred's lips in a kiss, shoving his tongue practically all the way down the moaning American's throat. He swallowed Alfred's moans and fed him his own in return, feeling the muscles of his abdomen clench and unclench repeatedly, his body trembling as he began to ride Alfred faster and harder, desperate for his release. He ran his hands over Alfred's chest, feeling Alfred's own muscles twitch under his fingers, and feeling his cock twitch inside him.

Alfred saw the needy look on Arthur's face and growled, sucking on the crook between his neck and shoulder as he reached down and grabbed Arthur's weeping erection, stroking with the rhythm of their thrusts.

"So close," Arthur whimpered, digging his nails into Alfred's back, sure he was drawing blood, but not really caring. "So very _close_…"

"Arthur…together…" Alfred was out of breath by this point, too far gone in chasing his release to care about anything else.

With one last hit to his prostate, Arthur's eyes shot open—though he saw nothing but pure white with bright gold stars—and he cried out, covering their stomachs and chests with his seed. "Alfred, my love!"

Feeling Arthur shudder and hearing his name called out like that pushed Alfred over the edge and he filled Arthur to the brim, crying out the merman's name.

"Did I ever tell you I love you?" Arthur panted as he rose off Alfred, feeling the human's seed drip out of him. He leaned down and kissed Alfred weakly, leaning against him as they lay down in front of the staircase. He rest his head on the panting human's chest, listening to his heart slowly return to its normal beat.

"Only a hundred-thousand times," Alfred said as he stared up at the ceiling, stroking Arthur's tousled, damp, golden-blonde hair. "But I never get tired of hearing it." He leaned down and brushed his lips across Arthur's forehead before lying back down. "And I never get tired of saying that I love you back."

Arthur laughed and kissed the base of Alfred's throat. "Can we rest now?"

"Totally."

And they fell asleep, naked, in front of the staircase of Alfred's house.

**Meanwhile…**

"You're going to be here _next_ _week_?" Matthew gasped into the phone, glad that Francis was taking a bath so he couldn't here what the Canadian just said. Matthew stood in the kitchen, melting the butter and boiling the water for steamed clams. Ever since he and Alfred had been with Francis and Arthur, they'd been eating a lot more seafood. And since Matthew loved cooking, he'd been trying some recipes he'd found in an old cookbook given to him by his grandmother; so far, Francis loved everything Matthew cooked.

"Of course," his mother, Evangeline Jones-Williams, said on the other line, sounding both confused and exasperated. "You know, your brother pretty much said the same thing to your father. Do you not want to see us or something?" Evangeline sounded hurt by the idea that her sons wanted nothing to do with them anymore. She had always been an emotional, dramatic woman.

"No, _Maman, _we do," Matthew said, quickly reassuring his sensitive mother. "We just thought you weren't coming to Salvation until Halloween." He glanced over at the doorway, as if Francis were standing there, instead of sitting in the bathtub singing _"_Frère Jacques".

"Oh!" Evangeline sounded relieved, and Matthew let out a little sigh of relief himself. "Well, Victor and I did such great jobs on our last cases that our bosses decided to give us both three months off! Isn't that great, _fils_?"

"Yeah," Matthew said, though in his mind, he said something along the lines of, "Are you crazy, Mom? That's definitely not great! In fact, you and Dad shouldn't even be showing up here until April or May!"

"Well, Victor's taking me out to dinner, sweetie, so I gotta go. Tell Alfred that Mommy says hi!"

"_Mom!" _Matthew whined in embarrassment, remembering his and Alfred's first day of kindergarten, and how their mother had showered them with hugs and kisses until the teacher insisted that they be seated. "We're not five anymore!"

Evangeline just laughed and wished her youngest a good night's rest before hanging up.

Matthew sighed and hung up the phone, deciding to distract himself by dropping the sealed-shut clams into the boiling water so they'd open. As the water boiled and the clams slowly opened, Francis walked in, dressed in jeans and a pale blue button-down, running a towel through his damp blonde hair. _"Bonsoir, mon amant cheri," _he said, kissing Matthew's cheek. "How's dinner coming along?"

"I just put the clams in the water, and the book says it takes an hour for them to open completely. Here." He handed Francis a bag full of dinner rolls. "Can you baste those in some of the butter I melted and put them in the oven while I make a salad?"

Francis kissed Matthew's cheek one more time and nodded, moving to do as his lover asked. "Matthieu, have you noticed anything odd about Arthur lately?" he asked casually as he basted the first roll.

"Like what?" Matthew asked as he poured some baby spinach into a bowl.

"Well, we're the same amount of time along, but his bump seems to be bigger than mine. Is that normal among pregnant humans?" Francis placed the few rolls he'd pasted on a plate and set about basting more.

"Um…" Matthew thought for a moment, tapping the wooden spoon he was going to use to mix the salad later to his chin. "Well, Alfred and I are twins, and according to my dad, when my mom was carrying us, she was a bit bigger than a pregnant woman with one child was." His eyes widened as he realized what he'd just said. "Do you think Arthur's carrying more than one baby?"

Francis shrugged as he finished basting the rolls and placed them in the preheated oven. "It could be possible. But does that mean he'll have double the symptoms?"

Matthew laughed as he picture Arthur wolfing down at least five piles of fish in front of Alfred. "Maybe when it comes to cravings and morning sickness… I'll have to ask my mom when she gets here." As he said that, Matthew remembered speaking to his mother, and almost dropped the soon-to-be chopped red onion in his hand. "Oh my God! Francis, I almost forgot to tell you! My parents are showing up early! They'll be here next Monday!"

However, Francis simply lifted the glass lid from the pot with the boiling water in it and peered in. He'd heard what Matthew had said, he was just far calmer than his lover. "My darling, do not worry. We will merely tell them that the 'women' carrying yours and Alfred's children are at a spa in Massachusetts for the next few months. I don't mind sticking with the 'fat friends' story, so long as I'm with you." He smiled and kissed Matthew's forehead before going to the attic, which he'd remodeled into a wonderful wince cellar.

Matthew sighed as he glanced at the clams, which had just finished opening. He'd leave them in there for another minute or two, just to make sure. In the meantime, he finished mixing the red onions, cherry tomatoes, garlic-herb croutons, and some ranch dressing into the salad.

"I hope Mom and Dad believe us," he whispered as he pulled the rolls from the oven and fished the clams out of the water to dry.

**A/N: I'm back! Of course, I wasn't gone that long, but yeah. Anyway, this is the first chapter, and again, I have put in sudden smut. I'm so weird. But anyway…**

**Yes, family is an issue again, except this time, it's the parents.**

**For the record, Feliciano, Francis, and Arthur all said "goodbye" in their own languages.**

**Uh… I don't have a lot to say, so I'll go. Bye!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Chapter 2

Arthur awoke at ten o'clock that night, he and Alfred still lying in front of the staircase, butt-naked. He blushed when he realized that, since Mattie or Francis could've walked in at any moment and seen them like that. He slowly got to his feet, groaning as the pain in his backside reminded him of what caused him and Alfred to fall asleep at the foot of the staircase. He rubbed the small of his back with one hand and stroked his stomach with the other, smiling gently. However, as he made his way upstairs to get his and Alfred's robes, he decided to look at himself in the full-body mirror in Alfred's walk-in closet.

He pulled on a pair of dark blue boxers before standing in front of the mirror, turning so his side was facing the glass. He peered at his body carefully, remembering when he and Francis had done the same thing back-to-back that very morning. His fuzzy eyebrows knit together when he compared the size of his bump to the size of Francis' bump. Why did his look bigger than the French merman's?

Panic swept through him as he thought, _Does that mean something's wrong with the baby? Because Francis and I are the same amount of time along, so how can I be bigger than him already? _

Shaking his head, Arthur turned away from the mirror, muttering to himself, "I'm sure the baby's fine. Probably just a trick of the light…" He grabbed his green robe and Alfred's blue robe—along with a pair of black boxers for Alfred—out of the closet and head downstairs.

"Alfred, darling," Arthur said as he slowly and carefully knelt down in front of the American, shaking him gently. "Wake up."

Alfred groaned and slowly opened his eyes, plucking his glasses from the arms of the couch, where they'd unconsciously set them earlier. He rubbed his eyes and put the glasses on, smiling when he saw Arthur. "Hey, Artie," he cooed, sitting up and kissing the merman gently. "What time is it?"

Arthur handed Alfred the boxers and the robe before heading toward the kitchen to eat something. "It's ten at night, love."

"Really?" Alfred gathered up their clothes and set them in a pile by the couch before following Arthur into the kitchen. "Huh… So what's for dinner?"

Arthur pulled some leftover salmon from the fridge and pursed his lips, tapping his chin. "Salmon sandwiches?"

"Awesome!" Alfred smiled, but when Arthur stated that he'd make them, he began to panic. "No, Artie, that's okay!" He snatched the salmon out of Arthur's hands and shooed him out of the kitchen. "You should relax, anyway, since your ass probably hurts!" He laughed and closed the kitchen door, ignoring Arthur's angry glare.

"Wanker!"

**Meanwhile…**

"Ludwig, how long has it been since Arthur and Francis got pregnant?" Feliciano asked as he watched Ludwig shuffle through some last-minute paperwork. He sat on the couch in their living room, a bowl of spaghetti in his hands as he watched _The Simpsons Movie_, which he thought was incredibly funny.

The blonde looked up and removed his reading glasses, revealing his icy-blue eyes. He paused to think for a moment before responding with, "I'd say it's been about three months, since they both got pregnant on June 26th. Why?"

Feliciano's face suddenly fell as he paused the movie and put down the spaghetti. "Ludwig…will we ever have babies?"

Ludwig felt his heart stop. He blushed and gasped softly, clutching at his chest. "If that's what you want, Feli," Ludwig said nervously. "But are you sure? I don't want you to end up regretting it if one of the tests turns out positive."

Feliciano stood up and walked over to an old treasure chest his brother, Antonio, and Gilbert had pulled from the sea and given to him before they left. Ludwig had fixed it up the best he could, and now Feliciano was using it to store knickknacks from not only the human world, but his world as well. He opened the chest and dug through it, pulling out an old book from the early twentieth century.

The book was bound in worn red leather, and the pages were yellowed with age. Merfolk had a tendency to collect interesting things from the human world that fell into the sea: jewelry, paintings, clothing, shoes, clocks…and merfolk especially liked to collect books from the human world.

In Atlantis—yes, Atlantis exists, and it's the biggest merfolk city in the world—which was hidden deep in the sea, around an area that humans called the Bermuda Triangle, stood a proud library known as the Library of Legends. It held every book merfolk had ever collected…that hadn't fallen apart by now. When his grandfather had been raising Feliciano and Lovino after the death of their parents, he'd brought them to Atlantis and allowed them each to buy a book from the library. Lovino had bought a book about how to charm women, and Feliciano had bought a book about merfolk. His grandfather had been confused when he'd seen his youngest grandson swimming back to him with a book about his own kind, but had allowed him to buy it anyway. Normally, the mermaids running the library wouldn't let people buy the books, but considering how handsome their grandfather had been, and how much gold he'd offered them, the ladies couldn't refuse.

"This is a book written by a human," Feliciano said as he showed the old book to the German. "The human was in love with one of my kind, but she didn't love him back. He wouldn't leave her alone, though, so she agreed that she'd tell him everything there was to know about her kind, and he wrote it down in this book. However, after many people read the book, he became a laughing stock and was miserable. It's written in Italian, but I can tell you what the part I want you to hear says."

Feliciano flipped to the section of the book he wanted and read aloud, "'After having officially chosen their mate, merfolk will have an undeniable urge to produce children. It is unknown as to what will happen if this urge is not satisfied, but it is suspected that it could be a danger to merfolk health.'"

Ludwig sighed and ran his fingers through his slicked-back blonde hair. "Well, I suppose if it could be a danger to your health, then we could have a baby soon. How about we start trying next weekend?"

"Ve~! Thank you, Luddy!" Feliciano put the book away, jumping up into the German's arms. He kissed the blushing man on the cheek before running off to continue watching his movie.

Ludwig sighed and rubbed his temples before turning back to his paperwork. Nonetheless, though, he smiled at the thought of having a baby with Feliciano. He loved the merman, though those words were rather difficult for him to say aloud, and the thought of seeing a tiny version of the Italian whenever he got home from work made his heart swell with love and pride.

**Meanwhile…**

Alfred F. Jones had never been very good at solving problems. At least, not as good as either Mattie or Artie seemed to be. But as he ran his hands gently over Arthur's strangely-larger-than-it-should-be bump, he felt a little worried.

"Do you think there's something wrong with the baby?" Arthur asked fearfully, watching Alfred just as carefully as he'd watch Ludwig. A sudden idea filled his head and he became even more terrified. "Or maybe even something wrong with me?"

Alfred studied Arthur's bump and sighed. "I don't think so, but why don't we go to Ludwig's office tomorrow, okay? Just to be sure?"

Arthur nodded and relaxed a little, finishing off the rest of his sandwich before cuddling up to his lover. As he did, he laced his fingers with Alfred's and brought their intertwined hands to his stomachs, feeling that their child was safe with a hand from both of them on it.

"Don't you have to call the hospital, or Ludwig, to make an appointment?" Arthur asked as Alfred turned on the TV, flipping through the HBO channels.

Alfred shook his head, laughing. "No way, dude! You remember the first time I brought you there, right? After Kiku, Mattie, and I found you on the beach?"

Arthur thought back to the very first night he'd seen Alfred, which seemed like a lifetime ago, even though it'd only happened a few months ago. The woman at the registration office—a woman named Miss Karpusi, if Arthur remembered correctly—had let them into Ludwig's office without an appointment or anything.

"Yes," Arthur said softly, blushing in embarrassment as he also remembered how little he'd known about the human world at the time, or how he'd practically had a heart attack when he'd seen the unfamiliar equipment in Ludwig's office for the first time. He shuddered a little as he remembered the polished scalpel and the syringes; those things still creeped him out.

"Plus, Ludwig's known me and Mattie his whole life!" Alfred smiled and rubbed Arthur's already-messy hair, causing the merman to pout slightly. "He'll totally help us above everyone else!"

"If you say so," Arthur mumbled, leaning against Alfred, drowsy and on the brink of sleep. "Goodnight, Alfred…"

Alfred kissed the tired merman's forehead, picking up the remote again to continue his basic channel surfing. Arthur was pretty much asleep against him, so it didn't matter anyway. He sighed, about to turn off the TV and take Arthur upstairs to sleep for the rest of the night, when he noticed a Kay commercial. He watched, intrigued, as the flashy jewelry appeared on the screen, giving him an…_interesting_ idea. He smiled as the commercial ended with its classic "Every kiss begins with Kay" before he lifted the exhausted merman into his arms and carried him upstairs for the night.

As he lay the merman down, he leaned over and kissed his forehead gently, whispering against the golden bangs, "Sweet dreams, Artie" before he crawled under the covers himself and fell into a deep sleep, dreaming of his idea of Hamburger Mountain.

**Meanwhile…**

Evangeline Jones-Williams was not an idiot, nor had she ever been. She knew her two darling sons were keeping something from her, and she swore to herself that when she and her husband landed on Salvation the following Monday, she'd immediately start getting to the bottom of whatever it was.

Until then, however, she was stuck sitting in her favorite white nightgown in her living room, a mug of hot chocolate in her hands, and her husband reading a book upstairs. Normally, Evangeline would've been upstairs too, reading with him, but right now she didn't really feel like it. She wanted to know what was making her boys act so strange. Yes, they'd acted strange before—they'd especially been acting weird when they hit puberty, but then Evangeline had found out that it was because Alfred had stolen one of their father's old _Playboys _and shown it to Matthew—but they'd never acted this strangely. In the past, they'd always been happy to see their parents, but now it was like Alfred and Matthew wanted nothing to do with them anymore.

_Did we embarrass them the last time we saw them?,_ Evangeline thought woefully, walking into the bathroom to wash her face before the tears fell. Evangeline could be considered a very pretty woman. Her skin was pale and soft, with surprisingly very few wrinkles, despite her age of forty-one and her difficult job as a lawyer. Her hair was naturally wavy, somewhat relaxed, and platinum-blonde. These pale features brought forth shock to peoples' eyes when they saw her own sapphire-colored orbs shining brightly with confidence. She had managed to retain a petite figure over the years, and her teeth were supermodel-worthy. In fact, when she was younger, and still now, people had told her that she could have modeled, had she been a bit curvier.

As she dried her face, Evangeline tried to think back to the last time she'd seen her sons, which had been around Christmas Break. She'd gone shopping with them while Victor decorated Alfred's house, but she hadn't done anything to embarrass them, like pinch their cheeks or call them her "little sweeties" in public.

As she went back into the living room, it hit her. "Those idiots," she said fondly, smiling at a picture of Alfred and Matthew when they'd been little. In the picture, they were sitting on one of the largest pumpkins in the pumpkin patch, swathed in warm coats, with their arms around each other. "They don't want us to meet their girlfriends and embarrass them. How silly!" She shook her head as she finished off her hot chocolate and began locking up the house and turning off lights. "And they say they've matured! Deep inside, though, they're still my crazy little boys." With the last light in the first floor of the house shut off—and the only one left in the house being the one in their bedroom so her husband could read—Evangeline went to bed, smiling to herself.

**Meanwhile…**

_How did I get here?,_ Arthur thought as he looked around him. _Wasn't I just sleeping in Alfred's bed?_

As he looked cautiously around himself, Arthur realized that he was not only in the sea, but in the warm, bright blue waters of the Great Barrier Reef, a place he'd always wanted to visit. And he was in his true form, any trace of a pregnancy bump gone from his slender body. He was so confused and a little scared, but at the same time, something in him was reassuring him that he was safe, and that everything was all right. He glanced down at his green tail, which swished professionally, keeping him afloat as he swam over to a large "house" of coral, since merfolk sometimes made homes in batches of coral that were big enough, and treated the other sea creatures in there as pets or neighbors.

The coral was a deep red-orange and rough, but smooth at the same time, as somethings usually are when one is submerged in water. As he traced the empty coral, thinking that it would be a nice home for him and Alfred, a tiny, pale hand popped out of it and reached for his hand.

He panicked, backing away, when arms wrapped around his waist, and he found himself staring into eyes as beautiful and blue as the waters around them.

Alfred smiled at him, intertwining Arthur's green tail with his own deep blue one as a few little shapes appeared behind Alfred.

_We found you!,_ the voice of a little girl sang in his head, causing him to flinch a little in Alfred's arms.

Arthur looked up, above Alfred's head, to where four little merchildren—all of whom couldn't've been more than six, seven, or maybe eight—were floating. There were two girls and two boys.

The first mermaid he noticed had a lilac tail, strong purple seaweed wrapped around the area where she'd someday grow breasts, and long, undoubtedly curly—even in the water—golden brown hair. Her eyes matched Alfred's deep blue, and there were little white pearls laced into her hair.

The second mermaid had a green tail like him and pin-straight, platinum-blonde hair. Her eyes were large and green, and she had green seaweed wrapped firmly around her chest. Unlike the lilac mermaid, her hair was pulled back into a ponytail using thin rope.

The first merman, strangely enough, had oil-black hair like Arthur's late father, and the same emerald eyes as Arthur. His tail was blue, and there was a single chain of green seaweed wrapped diagonally across his pale torso.

The second merman had a blue tail as well, with Alfred's hair color and Alfred's eyes. He even had Alfred's skin tone. He was the perfect child, in Arthur's opinion. Everything he'd wanted…until he realized the child also had Arthur's eyebrows. But still, he looked almost exactly like Alfred, and that was enough for him.

_Who are they?,_ Arthur thought, clinging to Alfred, who laughed mentally.

_Arthur, these are our kids! You know that! You gave birth to them!_

_I…did…?_ Arthur looked up in astonishment at the four beautiful merchildren swimming above them, playing together. He felt love fill his heart as they all looked down at him, smiling, and then tackled him out of Alfred's arms and into the sand.

_Mommy!,_ they all chorused at once, hugging him tightly.

_Okay, whichever one of you is holding onto my gills, I need you to let go!,_ Arthur thought as he was pulled away from the children.

The children smiled, swimming up and over the coral, causing Arthur's protective side to launch.

_Wait, come back! Your father and I need to be able to keep an eye on you! _

But the children didn't return, yet Arthur could hear their sweet laughter in his mind, and he filled with anguish.

_Children, come back! Come back! You'll get hurt! Please, come back!_

Arthur's eyes snapped open and he looked around. He was in Alfred's bedroom, in his human form, not in the sea, in his true form. He trembled, one arm wrapped around his growing torso protectively, the other wrapping around Alfred just as protectively. He buried his face in Alfred's chest and began to sob, which caused the American to wake up.

"Arthur, are you okay?" Alfred asked, running his fingers soothingly through his lover's hair. "Did you have a bad dream?"

"No!" Arthur sobbed, shaking his head. His hands tangled tightly into Alfred's shirt, bringing the cloth closer to be used as a handkerchief. "Well, yes! I mean… I don't know, Alfred!" He shuddered, staring up at him. "It started out good, but then they left!"

"Who's 'they'?" Alfred asked gently, brushing the Brit's tears from his cheeks.

"Our babies!" Arthur continued to sob. "They were gone! They left over the coral, and we didn't do anything to stop them! They could've gotten hurt!"

Alfred was shocked to hear that Arthur was dreaming about what he thought their children would look like, but was also pleased by it. He held the sobbing merman close and rocked him back and forth gently, trying to soothe him. "Shh, Artie, shh. I'm sure they're fine. I mean, they were probably going off to mate."

"Alfred, they couldn't've been more than eight. And two were girls."

"My little girls!" Alfred cried before regaining his composure. "Relax, Arthur, relax. It was just a dream. That hasn't happened, and if you think I'm gonna let something happen to you or our children, you're crazy!"

Arthur sighed and rubbed his eyes before relaxing against Alfred. "I suppose you're right. I'm sorry I woke you up. Goodnight, love."

"Goodnight, Arthur."

**A/N: I'm sorry I didn't update sooner, but I haven't really had the time, what with everything going on in my life right now. So, anyway, here's chapter two, and once again, I don't really have a lot to say.**

**Goodbye!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Chapter 3

"Shouldn't you be going to a gynecologist for this?" Ludwig asked as he watched Arthur and Alfred make their way into his office. "I mean, I'm not sure I'm qualified—"

"Luddy, do you really think a gyno would see a pregnant man without getting freaked out?" Alfred pointed out as he watched Arthur tug uncomfortably on the hem of his oversized sweatshirt.

Ludwig glanced up at the American that he'd known since preschool and sighed. He'd never hear the end of it if his father found out that he hadn't helped the son of his favorite lawyers. So, with a quick rub to his temples to stave off a headache, he put his glasses on and gestured to the cushioned counter with the tissue paper on it. "Very well. Arthur, please sit up here and we'll begin."

Alfred smirked victoriously and carefully helped his lover up onto the counter before sitting down so Ludwig could begin his examination. Of course, soon Alfred became bored and started fiddling with a manila folder that was sitting on the German doctor's desk. He flipped it open, running his bored blue eyes over the words that he didn't understand before he realized that this was somebody's medical record. He smiled deviously and went back to the first page, looking for a name. Unfortunately, he didn't recognize the person's name and frowned, tossing the folder back onto Ludwig's desk.

"Alfred, I hope you realize that not only can Arthur see you and tell me what you're doing," Ludwig said as he checked Arthur's pulse, eyes on his watch, "but I can hear you as well. So stop messing with my stuff."

Alfred smiled sheepishly and relaxed into his chair, suddenly disappointed in himself for leaving his iPod at the house.

**Later…**

"Well, there doesn't appear to be anything wrong with you or the growing child," Ludwig said reassuringly when he'd officially finished his examination. "I'd do an ultrasound, but it's too early to see anything. Usually you can't really see anything until you can feel the baby kicking." Ludwig tapped Arthur's stomach gently and shook his head. "Nothing. Plus, we'd also have to go to a different floor."

"Well, then why am I showing so much?" Arthur demanded, still a little worried.

Ludwig thought silently for a minute before he responded. "Well, normally, I'd say it's because of where the fertilized egg placed itself in your uterus when you got pregnant, but since you're a man and not a woman, I don't know. Perhaps you're carrying more than one?"

Ludwig almost regretted saying that, because the moment he did, Alfred flung himself from his chair and fell to his knees in front of Arthur, wrapping his arms around the surprised merman's growing midsection.

"My baby girls!" Alfred cried, making both Ludwig and Arthur turn the color of tomatoes. Alfred didn't notice, however, and continued to cuddle the merman's protruding stomach, petting it lovingly.

"Alfred, you git, get the bloody hell off of me!" Arthur snapped as he tried to push the American off of him.

Ludwig just sighed and removed his glasses, shaking his head. _"Ich werde nie verstehen." _

**Meanwhile…**

"My dearest Matthieu, what do you think of this?" Francis held up a cute little yellow one-piece. It was specifically designed for a baby, no doubt, with little ducks for feet and a little duck over the heart.

Matthew looked up from pulling Mr. Kumajirou out of the dryer, his face turning a little pink at the sight of Francis holding up the baby clothes. "It's cute," he murmured, brushing his fingers over the soft fabric. "But why is it yellow? Shouldn't it be blue or pink?"

Francis shook his head and reach into the bag at his side, pulling out a green one-piece suit with white stripes and bunnies on it. "We don't know what sex the baby is yet, Matthieu, so I just got neutral colors. Aren't they cute? I bought some for Arthur and Alfred as well."

"Yeah," Matthew agreed as he reached into one of the other bags, "they are pretty cute. What's in here?" The next thing Matthew pulled out was a soft white baby blanket with a little lamb sewed into the bottom right corner. "You bought a blanket, too?"

"I also bought booties, toys, and parenting books," Francis said calmly to his astounded Canadian lover. "What? Is this not what human parents do?"

"Well, some do, but… Francis, what does your culture do for the arrival of babies?" Matthew asked, realizing he didn't know.

Francis looked confused as he set the baby things on the table and thought for a moment. "Hmm…Well, we never actually see the mother give birth. Her instincts cause her to sneak away with her closest family members, and the she returns with the baby or babies. If it's a girl, we shower her with gifts and sing to her. If it's a boy, we have a feast and the men leave to catch large fish, like sturgeon or halibut. We give him gifts, too, but none as extravagant as the ones we give the girls. And if it's a boy and a girl, we do both at the same time."

"But for the preparations before the baby arrives?"

"We all do our bests to make the mother comfortable. She's not allowed to lift a finger." Francis' eyes suddenly gained a gleam as he relaxed onto the couch. "So that means I shouldn't have to do anything, _mon cher_..."

Matthew put his face in his hands as he turned away, realizing that he'd just dug his own grave for the next six months.

**Meanwhile…**

Arthur, on the other hand, couldn't even _try_ to lift a finger without Alfred coming to his rescue, like the self-proclaimed hero that he was. If he dropped something, Alfred would pick it up. If he reached for something, Alfred would hand it to him. If he tried to cook something, Alfred shooed him from the kitchen and made it himself. While it was nice of Alfred, it also infuriated Arthur at the same time. The merman simply hated feeling useless and unneeded, and he wanted Alfred to let him do something on his own. For God's sake, Alfred wouldn't even let him get dressed by himself!

Also, there was the issue of Alfred being in school now that it was fall, so he would be alone in the house for some time. This worried him most of all, because what if something happened—like he went into early labor—and Alfred wasn't there to help him? What would he do, just give birth? And where would he give birth, for that matter? Would he just fall on the ground, or get on the couch? He couldn't give birth in the water, because he'd just end up laying eggs.

"Alfred, what do you think I should do if I go into labor while you're gone?" Arthur asked as they got in Alfred's car to drive home from the hospital.

Alfred froze for a second, his hands gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles were white. He hadn't thought about that… "I don't know, Artie. I would suggest you get the phone, lay down on the ground, and call Ludwig, _not_ 911!"

Arthur nodded as Alfred started the car and pulled out of the driveway. That seemed like a good idea, but he really wanted Alfred to be there when he gave birth. It would be a comforting thing, to see the man he loved with him as he brought their child into the world

_Hopefully, you'll arrive on a weekend,_ Arthur thought as he absentmindedly stroked his stomach.

**A few days later…**

It was Sunday already, the day before Alfred's parents were supposed to arrive, and Matthew and Alfred were running around their individual houses like maniacs, cleaning nonstop.

At Matthew's house, the lavender walls had been scrubbed to perfection, and the wooden floors were so polished and perfect they acted like a mirror, which Francis enjoyed greatly. Matthew had restocked the bathrooms with fresh toiletries and scrubbed each tile until they were all exactly like the wooden floors. All the bedding, all the clothing, even some of the curtains had been tossed in the washer and dryer at least twice, and all the shelves and knickknacks had been dusted and swiped. Matthew was exhausted as he grabbed his checklist at went about the house, first checking the bedrooms.

Each pillow was fluffed, each mattress was bouncy, the bedding smelled like Tide, and there was a vase of flowers and some scented candles in each bedroom. (They had three, since Francis had insisted on a large, spacey house so he could have plenty of room for designing, both fashion and interior.)

Next, he checked the two bathrooms. There was a private one in his and Francis' room, and the other was between the two guest bedrooms. The bathrooms were lemony fresh, and the tiles and the mirrors sparkled beautifully. The towels were fluffy and the toilets were scrubbed until they were just as shiny as the tiles.

Matthew was so paranoid he'd even vacuumed the basement once or twice…and there wasn't even anything in there!

"_Mon cher_, you're working yourself to death," Francis said as he watched Matthew dart around the house. There was fresh concern in his tropical-blue eyes as the human draped a fresh white tablecloth over the dining table and placed assorted flowers all over the dining room. "I'm afraid you're going to hurt yourself."

Matthew sighed and collapsed into one of the freshly-cleaned chairs. "I know what you mean, Francis, but you wouldn't believe how observant my dad is. I think he's got OCD, because if something's not exactly to his liking, he freaks out. I love my dad, but sometimes it's too much to handle."

Francis kneeled carefully beside Matthew and rested his head on the human's lap. "You're putting too much stress on yourself, _mon amour_. Do you think Alfred's stressing like this?"

**At Alfred's house…**

"Must keep cleaning, must never stop cleaning, must always clean," Alfred muttered obsessively under his breath to himself as he polished the windows. His body was trembling a little and his sea-blue eyes were as wide as dinner plates. "I love to clean…"

Arthur walked into the room, watching in shock as Alfred ran around the room at superhuman speed, leaving everything expertly clean in his wake. Arthur leaned gently against the doorway, resting a hand on stomach. "Alfred, love, wouldn't it've been easier to hire a maid?"

"Not right now, Arthur, I'm in the freaking zone!" Alfred snapped as he scrubbed the glass coffee table furiously—leaving it looking like a mirror—before disappearing upstairs.

Arthur stood there in the overly-clean living room, staring at the air in confusion. "Uh… What just happened…?" he asked no one, listening to the frantic footsteps upstairs.

**That night…**

"Sorry about freaking out on you earlier, Artie," Alfred said sheepishly, his head resting on Arthur's lap. They were lying on the couch, Alfred's body entangled in Arthur's legs so he could rest his head on the merman's stomach and listen for movement. "I just get really anxious when it comes to my parents visiting."

Arthur glanced at the human, then over at the over at the saltwater-filled fish tank in the corner. Not long after Matthew and Francis had moved out, Alfred had bought Arthur dozens of saltwater fish, hoping they would keep him company why Alfred was in class. Unfortunately, he'd forgotten that Arthur could only communicate with sea creatures in his true form, making the purchase completely pointless.

"Alfred, do you have any handheld mirrors?" Arthur asked as he watched a banana-yellow fish swim around with a royal-purple one. He had an idea that he hoped would cause Alfred to calm down about his parents.

"Yeah, I do." Alfred understood immediately and hopped up, walking to the bathroom and returning with a small handheld mirror. "But this isn't a mirror created by merfolk." He smirked suddenly. "What, are you becoming vain?"

Arthur rolled his eyes and snatched the mirror from Alfred's hold, walking over to the fish tank. He dunked the mirror in the water, be careful not to let a drop spill from the tank and onto his lower body. "Oh, Poseidon, here in daylight," he said, watching the mirror and the fish tank glow. He knew the fish would be okay, since this was something that merfolk had been doing around fish for centuries. "Grant this mirror the power of sight. Give it the ability to truly know, all on the lands above, and in the seas below."

The water bubbled and glowed until there was a quick flash, leaving everything calm. Arthur extracted the mirror and quickly dried it off, watching the fish swim around as if nothing had happened.

"There," he said as he held up the mirror. "Now that we've got that out of the way…" He took a deep breath and said, "Mirror, as I speak to you, reveal my mother, who swims in the blue."

The mirror glowed and Arthur quickly beckoned Alfred closer, pointing to the mirror. "Watch it, moron."

As the glow faded, the image of a beautiful mermaid appeared in the glass. The mermaid had a waist-length golden brown hair and eyes as green and gentle as Arthur's. Her skin was ivory and her lips were naturally pale red. There were no pearls laced into her hair; instead, it floated around her naturally, not a piece of jewelry in it. She wore an ivory silk bralette embroidered with gold—which confused Alfred greatly, until he remembered what Arthur had told him about merfolk being able to get a hold of precious fabrics every now and then. Her tail was green, and she was stacking gold bangles onto her wrists. She would've passed for a wealthy model, had she been human.

"She's lovely," Alfred said softly. He had never officially met his new mother-in-law, but he'd heard stories about her from Calder and Arthur. Supposedly, she was a kind woman, smart too, but she had a temper, just like her sons.

"Alfred, I'm eventually going to have to face my mother. Sure, she's not going to be as shocked as your parents will be when she finds out about the baby, but she's not just going to accept it like that. But if I know anything about my mother, it's that she will eventually accept it. They will be her grandchildren; she'll love them no matter what." Arthur watched the image fade quickly, waving goodbye to it.

Alfred sighed and sat down. "I think I understand. I just don't want my parents do find out about you and turn you over to the government for experimentation or something."

Arthur put his arms around Alfred and kissed him deeply and lovingly. He guided Alfred's hands to his stomach and whispered against the American's lips. "We love you, Alfred. We really do. I'm not sure how to describe it, but I feel as if I can sense the baby's emotions, even though it's not even big enough for an ultrasound. I think it can hear us; it knows us, and it absolutely loves us."

Alfred stared in awe down at Arthur's stomach, rubbing it gently. Was it true? Was his baby aware of the world outside Arthur's body? Did it know the sounds of their voices and love them just as much as they already loved it?

"Do you love us?" Arthur whispered to Alfred, running his fingers through his sandy-blonde hair.

Alfred looked into Arthur's forest-green eyes and then down at the bump, imagining a pair of eyes just like Arthur's watching him with as much eagerness as the merman was. He smiled and pressed his lips against Arthur's forehead. "I do. I love you both so much, and I promise that I will never let anything happen to either of you. Hero's honor."

"Let's go to bed, my love," Arthur said softly, smiling as he pulled Alfred upstairs.

**A/N: Here's the next chapter! Sorry I haven't been updating a lot, I've just been buried in other things. But I'm back now, and I promise to have Chapter 4 up soon.**

**What Germany said: "I'll never understand them."**

**Next chapter, Alfred and Mattie's parents show up.**

**Oh, and to anyone who got the Smosh reference in this chapter, you get an entire banquet of sweets, and a free clone of any Hetalia character you want.**

**Sorry if this is short.**

**Goodbye for now!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything, sadly. *Goes off to cry self to sleep***

Chapter 4

Arthur's knuckles were white and filling with pain as he gripped the back of the couch as tightly as was possible. He was practically chewing his own bottom lip off as he anxiously watched the windows, waiting for Alfred's Toyota to appear in the driveway.

_Get it together… Get it together… You'll be fine, _he promised himself shakily, feeling his heart race viciously in his chest cavity. _You'll be fine…_

He glanced over at the clock, digging his teeth deeper into his plump lower lip as he noticed the time. Any minute now…

"I can't wait for you guys to meet Arthur!" he heard Alfred say as the blue Camry pulled up. "You'll love him, really!"

Arthur gasped out one last time before relaxing against the couch, trying to look as polite and calm as he possibly could at the moment. He looked down at himself; blue jeans, black sneakers, oversized Union Jack sweatshirt… The only thing amiss was his slightly messier-than-usual golden hair, but that didn't matter. He quickly wiped the very thin sheen of sweat from his skin and checked his lips for blood—there was none, thank God—before he looked over at the unlocking front door, his heart still racing in fear and anticipation.

Alfred was the first to step into the house, a carry-on bag thrown over his shoulder and his house key in his other hand. His eyes were behind him, trained on a pretty woman with platinum-blonde hair and large blue eyes, just like his own and Matthew's. There was a tall man with broad shoulders, blue eyes, and sandy-blonde hair behind her, pulling luggage along as well.

The woman had her pretty hair pulled back into a loose bun and she wore a knee-length, coral halter dress with a V-neck and an empire waist. On her feet were white wedges and her toenails—and fingernails—were painted to match her dress. She had a small white purse slung over her shoulder, which she was digging into at the moment.

The man wore a dark blue T-shirt with a long-sleeved green-and-blue, unbuttoned plaid shirt over it, blue jeans, and some black boots. His hair was tousled and he waved politely at Arthur when he noticed him. He had a silver necklace with a small whale charm on it around his neck and a bracelet with deep blue beads on it, the bracelet itself was tied together with a frayed piece of thin rope.

Arthur resisted the urge to run out of the room as Mrs. Jones-Williams came up to him with a smile, Alfred and her husband carrying the stuff upstairs.

"You're Arthur, right?" she asked.

Arthur nodded and held out his hand, which thankfully wasn't shaking anymore, to her. "Yes, that's me. And you're Alfred's mother?"

"Guilty." She smiled and shook his hand before looking back into her purse. "Oh, please don't tell me I left it at home…"

"What are you looking for?" Arthur asked curiously, glancing into the woman's purse with her. He saw a cell phone, lipstick, some gum, a wallet… What was she looking for?

"Here it is!" Evangeline pulled a necklace similar to her husband's from her bag, only this one had a clam charm, and handed it to Arthur. "I also bought one for Alfred, Matthew, and Matthew's friend Francis. Do you like it?"

Arthur took the necklace and studied it. It was nothing fancy, just a simple silver chain with a medium-sized clam charm on it. But he liked it, and he appreciated the gesture, so he hooked it around his neck and smiled. "Thank you, Mrs. Jones-Williams."

"You can call me Evangeline, dear." She leaned against the back of the couch and stood there, simply looking at him for an awfully long, intense—in Arthur's opinion—moment. Finally, she asked, "Is Alfred a good roommate? He's not making you do all the work around the house? Because if he is, I can talk to him for you."

"No, Evangeline, he's fine. In fact, he cleaned this entire house all by himself." Arthur smiled. He felt a little more at-ease from this pleasant conversation, but he was still a little on edge.

"Really? That sounds more like Matthew, not Alfred. Are you sure it wasn't someone that just looked like Alfred?"

"Mom, I'm capable of cleaning stuff," Alfred grumbled as he came down the stairs, his father behind him. "Mattie's not the only one who can clean."

"Well, that's what you always made it look like in your bedrooms back home."

Arthur smiled at the banter, remembering his own crazy family. Maybe this whole thing would go off without a hitch after all.

**Meanwhile…**

"Alfred just told me that Mom and Dad are here," Matthew said anxiously as he hung up the phone. "He said they're talking to Arthur."

Francis was studying some of the flowers Matthew had brought into the house the other day, and as the Canadian spoke, he looked up. "Really? They're here already? What will we do when they want to come visit us?"

Matthew shook his head and whimpered out, "I don't know! He said they haven't really said anything about Arthur being 'fat'—in fact, he said it was like they hadn't even noticed—but that could've been out of courtesy! What will we do?"

Francis looked down. He didn't have much of a belly—a small bump that could be covered up by one of Matthew's oversized button-downs and a T-shirt—but he was still worried. "Well… We should just remain calm, _oui_? Act as if this is normal?"

"How is a pregnant man normal?" Matthew demanded as he ran out of the room to make sure everything was still orderly.

"I don't know, _mon amour_…"

**Meanwhile…**

"Ludwig!" Feliciano pouted as he stared down at the pregnancy test in his hands. Another little minus sign: he wasn't pregnant. "It didn't work again!"

Ludwig sighed and put his face in his hands. He and Feliciano had been trying to get the merman pregnant since Friday, and he was sure it should've been working…if Feliciano would just be patient!

"Why isn't it working?" Feliciano whined from the bathroom, running back into Ludwig's arms. He was naked, his hair ruffled, and tears were dripping from his pretty gold eyes.

Ludwig felt pity fill him as he tossed the newest pregnancy test into the trash and pulled the Italian into his arms. "It's okay, Feli. Why don't we try again right now?"

Feliciano immediately stopped crying and smiled, rubbing his eyes. "Ve~! Do you think it'll work this time?"

"Maybe…"

"Yay!" Feliciano grabbed the German and, with surprising strength that neither of them knew he possessed, pulled him into their bed. He kissed the German eagerly, wasting no time in shoving his tongue into Ludwig's mouth. He sucked on the tongue that responded to his as he ran his hands over Ludwig's perfectly muscular and creamy body. He loved Ludwig's muscles so much. He loved the slight curves they gave the German's body, the way that made him impossibly strong and able to carry both Feliciano and his brother at the same time. He loved everything about Ludwig.

"Feliciano, I—" Ludwig stopped suddenly and listened, gently pushing the Italian off of him. He sat up, shushing Feliciano when he began to protest. He stood carefully, pulling on some sweats and plucking a gun from underneath the bed.

"Ludwig, why do you need that?" Feliciano whispered fearfully, trembling under the covers of their bed. "Is something wrong?"

Ludwig shot him a glare that immediately silenced the terrified Italian as he crept out of their bedroom, down the hall, and to the top of the stairs. There was a noise coming from the kitchen, like dishes being moved around and the fridge being opened and closed. Ludwig walked slowly toward the kitchen, the gun's safety already off and his finger ready on the trigger. He kicked the door—already propped open a little—in and aimed the gun, his face determined.

"Don't shoot, you _dummkopf_!" Gilbert snapped as he dropped the closed mustard bottle, holding up his shaking hands.

Ludwig's eyes widened and he turned the safety back on, putting the gun on the counter, but keeping it close, just in case. After all, he didn't really know his older half-brother all that well, and one can never be too careful.

"Jesus Christ, Ludwig! It's just me!" Gilbert let out a sigh and lowered his hands, placing one on his racing heart. He panted a bit, leaning against the counter. He picked up the turkey sandwich he'd been making, taking a large bite out of it. Ah, no wonder they called it comfort food…

"What are you doing here, Gilbert? I almost shot you!" Ludwig sighed and picked up his gun, turning to go. "Stay here. I'm going to go tell Feliciano he can stop hiding under the covers. And clean up the mess you made!"

Gilbert laughed as he watched his human brother trudge up the stairs, head low and gun in hand. The albino merman and his mate—Elizabeta—had decided to return to their friends, seeing as Elizabeta had a fascination with the human world, and annoying Roderich had become boring to him. He continued munching the sandwich, smirking to himself when he remembered that Ludwig had been shirtless and wearing sweats.

_What were he and the little Italian doing?,_ he wondered with a knowing look in his blood-red eyes. He knew that Lovino and Antonio hadn't left their little cave in the Mediterranean Sea for weeks once they'd returned home. (Not that Antonio would let him in the first place.)

A moment later, Feliciano came running down the stairs in his boxers, throwing his arms around Gilbert when he saw him. "Ve~! What are you doing here, Gil?"

"I got bored in the ocean, so I decided to spend a little time on land. And besides, an awesome guy like me can't visit his awesome little brother?"

Feliciano smiled and began to talk the elder German's ear off, all the while holding the other German's hand.

**That night…**

Arthur awoke, trembling slightly, in the middle of the night. He grasped onto Alfred, who stirred a little, but otherwise did not wake up. He curled close to him, whimpering, just glad he was here.

"Alfred," he whispered as he peppered kisses up the human's neck, over his jaw, and onto his cheek over and over again. "Alfred…"

In Arthur's nightmare, Alfred's parents had found out about him, and they'd been so disgusted, they'd called the FBI, CIA, and even the SWAT team! He'd been so terrified for his life, but he was glad to know that it was just a dream.

"Arthur…you're awake…?" Alfred groaned in a quiet whisper. "It's one in the morning!"

"Alfred, I just had the worst dream!" Arthur sobbed quietly, holding onto him. "I dreamt that your parents found out about me, and then they called these people who came and took me to some strange lab… There were knives and syringes and…" Arthur began to hyperventilate, and Alfred gently rubbed his back and held him close, cooing into his ear.

"Shh, Arthur, it's okay. I would never let that happen to you, I promise. Shh… Shh… I love you, Arthur." He sat up and pulled the merman with him, still hugging him and rubbing his back. Slowly, he began to rock a little, trying to do whatever he could to soothe the quietly crying merman.

"I love you, too," Arthur whispered, kissing Alfred's neck again. "Please, don't ever let anyone hurt me. Even if it's your own family, you have to promise to never let anyone hurt me."

"I promise, Arthur," Alfred said frantically, still holding him. "I swear to God, I'll never let anyone hurt you, okay?"

Arthur nodded and buried his face into Alfred's chest, eventually lulled to sleep by the gentle petting and the sound of Alfred's heartbeat.

**The next morning…**

"You know, we forgot to ask you yesterday," Mr. Jones began as he sat down at the dining table, where assorted plates, pitchers, and bowls of breakfast foods had been laid out. "But where's your pregnant girlfriend, son?"

Alfred looked up from putting pieces of bacon onto his plate, his eyes wide for a second before he said, "Oh, she and Mattie's girlfriend decided to go to some kind of healthy maternity spa in Massachusetts for a few months."

"Months?" Evangeline stopped pouring her orange juice to shoot her son a wary look. "Are you sure that's all they're doing up there?"

Arthur flinched a little and pushed his toast around on his plate, suddenly not very hungry. Instead, he picked up a piece of toast and began to butter it silently, not wanting any attention this morning. His morning sickness hadn't been very light today, and he was sure that someone—other than Alfred—must've heard him puking his guts out earlier.

"Yeah, Mom. I mean, we didn't give them our credit cards, and since they're pregnant, it's not like every guy's gonna wanna sleep with them or something."

"I guess you're right…" Evangeline and her husband exchanged an indiscernible look before she asked, "So, what are we going to do today? I, personally, would like to see Matthew. It's sad that he left his school in Paris to come study here, but whatever makes him happy." She waved it off and began to pour maple syrup onto her pancakes.

"Uh… I was thinking we could go get Mattie and Francis," Alfred said between bites of bacon, much to his mother's displeasure, "and then all of us could go to the zoo."

"Oh, that's a wonderful idea!" Evangeline smiled and clasped her hands together fondly. "I hear they have such cute pandas at the zoo here!"

Arthur just nodded when Alfred did, picking at his eggs. Alfred wasn't making this whole "hide the pregnancy thing" easy, was he?

**A/N: I apologize for this being short, if anyone thinks it is. So…the zoo, huh? Wonder what could happen there? *Devious look***

**So, Alfred and Mattie's parents are finally here, and they don't seem to notice anything off…yet. Maybe they do, though…**

**I don't have much to say, so I'm gonna go. See you later!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Nothing's mine.**

Chapter 5

The zoo, Arthur discovered, was actually a rather pleasant place to visit. It was a large place, filled with sunshine, and laughing, happy people. There were all sorts of different types of animals, and the zoo had been divided into sections: mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish, and insects. Arthur felt a little disappointed when he saw the fish in tanks and touch-pools, but everybody seemed to be having fun, so he ignored it.

Francis, on the other hand, glared at all the tanks, excusing himself to get a milkshake after seeing all the fish looking at him in a way that he called "desperate for freedom". He brought Arthur with him, leaving the Jones-Williams family at the orca tank for awhile.

"Francis, humans have been putting fish in tanks for centuries," Arthur pointed out as they slurped their milkshakes, watching some little kids playing by the flamingo exhibit. Inside, the bright pink birds watch the children carefully, as if keeping an eye on them for their chatting parents.

"_Oui_, Arthur, that may be true, but that doesn't make it any less wrong!" Francis snapped, pouting. "What if Alfred tried to stick you in a tank for the rest of your life?" He folded his arms over his chest and patiently waited for the Brit to respond, his tropical-blue eyes hard as gems.

"Alfred wouldn't do that to me, and Matthew wouldn't do that to you!" Arthur responded, his eyes as cold as the milkshakes. "Although, Alfred has been thinking about building some kind of large freshwater pond for me in the backyard. He thinks the ocean isn't all that safe for me anymore."

Francis scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Not that safe? Arthur, we grew up in the sea! Yes, some merfolk are known to forsake saltwater forever and choose to live in freshwater for the rest of their lives, but not in somebody's backyard! In deep, cool lakes, or bubbling, rushing rivers!"

"He's just trying to keep me safe!" Arthur snapped, taking a slurp of his cotton candy milkshake. "And besides, Alfred knows I would never give up the sea for freshwater; it was just an idea."

Francis rolled his eyes, but didn't say another word as he and Arthur continued to drink their shakes.

**Meanwhile…**

"Oh, the baby orca is so cute!" Evangeline smiled as she watched the baby orca swim around beside its mother in the huge tank before them.

"Hey, it's got a sibling!" Matthew pointed to the other baby orca, which had been hidden behind the father. It, too, swam over to the mother, keeping close to her and its sibling.

"I remember when you and Alfred were little," Evangeline said as she smiled fondly at the adorable sight. "You were a lot like those baby orcas; always following me around, never able to stay with your father for too long…"

"_Mom!" _Alfred and Matthew whined together quietly, glaring at their mother.

Evangeline and Victor laughed as Arthur and Francis appeared beside them.

"What's everybody laughing about?" Arthur asked, watching the orcas.

"Mom's embarrassing us in public," Alfred muttered sourly under his breath.

Evangeline rolled her eyes as Francis and Arthur chuckled a little. "Arthur, Francis," she said, getting the mermen to look at her, "aren't these orcas adorable?"

"Yes," Francis said in a bittersweet voice. "But they'd be even more adorable if they were in the ocean, free and wild like they should be."

Arthur's eyes widened and he jabbed Francis in the side, causing the French merman to flinch and glare at him.

"Yes, I suppose that's true." Evangeline sighed and shook her head sadly. "I love the zoo, but I hate seeing the animals caged up like this. You're right, Francis; they deserve to be free."

**Later…**

"This is the Butterfly House," Alfred said as they made their way through the glass, plant-filled, greenhouse-like building. "I'm gonna see if I can find a Monarch." He smiled as he went off to a certain area where black-and-orange butterflies were fluttering around in the warm air.

"_Qu'est-ce qu'un beau modele!" _Francis exclaimed as he noticed a butterfly with large wings and a pretty, black-and-white, feather-like pattern on said wings. "A beautiful creature… Matthieu, what is it?"

"According to this sign, they're Zebra Swallowtails," Matthew said, gesturing to the informative podium in front of the tree that the butterflies were nesting on.

"Well, they're giving me a marvelous idea for a dress!" Francis eyed the pretty pattern on the butterflies' wings, smiling when he pictured a nice summer dress for his new mother-in-law, or maybe a tiny one for the baby girl he was positive he was carrying.

"You design?" Evangeline gasped, appearing at Francis' side in a second. "Are you any good?"

"Yeah, he's pretty good at it, Mom," Matthew confirmed, remembering some satin pajamas Francis had made for him. They were white, with little red maple leaves on them, red buttons, red trim, and red lining.

"Well, if you make me a nice cocktail dress for a Christmas party I have to go to in a few months, I'll give you…" Evangeline paused, tapping her chin, as Francis and Matthew waited eagerly to hear the amount of money the merman would be given. Arthur and Victor, on the other hand, both watched with surprised faces.

"Let's say one hundred and fifty dollars," she concluded, nodding with her decision. "Does that sound fair?"

"_Bien sur il ne, Miss Evangeline! __Merci beaucoup!" _Francis was about to hug the woman, but then he remembered that if he hugged her, she may feel how firm his small bump was and become suspicious, so he simply settled for kissing the back of her hand and smiling brightly.

**Meanwhile…**

"Ludwig… Ludwig… Oh! _Si! Proprio li! Si!_" Feliciano arched against his glorious German lover as said man struck his prostate once more, causing him to dig his nails into the fine pale skin of Ludwig's back with one hand, and grip the sheets tightly—until his knuckles were white—with the other. Pleasure coursed through his veins and rocketed up and down his spine, making his lithe body tremble and his member leak precum. He loved the feelings Ludwig could invoke from him during their lovemaking; it always made him feel so _alive_…

Ludwig shuddered as Feliciano tightened around him, and he was very glad that Gilbert and Elizabeta were out shopping for the day. He leaned down and sucked a perfect red hickey into Feliciano's soft shoulder, soothing the mark with his tongue when the Italian thrust up against him as a reaction. He wrapped his arms more securely around the merman, thrusting faster, and loving the little whimpers, gasps, and moans that fell from his lover's lips. Being so close to Feliciano and connecting them in this way was something he loved doing; not just from the physical pleasure he felt, but also from the emotional pleasure he felt from seeing Feliciano look up at him with such love and desire in his gorgeous gold eyes. If there was anything in the world that could make Ludwig Beilschmidt's heart melt that fast, it was Feliciano's perfect eyes.

"_Per favore, Ludwig, per favore!" _Feliciano begged underneath him, desperately close to release, but wanting Ludwig to reach euphoria with him. _"Sono cosi vicino… Vieni con me, il mio amore!"_

Ludwig thrust once more, burying himself deep inside Feliciano as he came, filling the gasping merman. _"Ich liebe dich, Feli!"_

Feliciano cried out wordlessly and came between them, holding onto the shaking German tightly before letting out a loud gasp and collapsing back against the bed, panting. He felt Ludwig pull out of him gently and winced a little at the tender feeling in his backside. He smiled, however, and rolled over to face the German when he lay down on his side next to him, just as exhausted.

"I hope it works this time," Feliciano whispered as he curled up against Ludwig's chest, feeling safe and warm there. He listened to his lover's breathing and heartbeat return to normal, sighing contently.

"I do as well," Ludwig's replied honestly, pulling a blanket up around them. "Now let's rest, all right?"

Feliciano nodded, eyes already closed, as he drifted off into a quiet, much-needed sleep.

**Meanwhile…**

"I'm so happy for Feli," Elizabeta said as she and Gilbert walked out of the International Café. "He's finally found somebody he can be happy with. Aren't you glad for your brother, Gilbert?"

Gilbert looked down at Elizabeta and smiled, pushing his silver bangs out of his eyes. "Of course I am, but everybody knows the Awesome Me is the luckiest merman in the world."

"Why's that?" Elizabeta asked as they made their way to the park. In the few times she'd been here, she'd grown fond of that certain little bridge over the pond, and she'd begged Gilbert to bring her here. She'd been so surprised when he'd agreed to, but only after a little shopping first.

"Because I want to tell you something," Gilbert said as he turned to fully face Elizabeta. He stared down at her seriously, his hands shaking a little nervously.

Elizabeta watched him carefully, confused. What was wrong with him? Was he okay?

"Gilbert?"

"Close your eyes," the silver-haired merman demanded as he placed his fingers over her green orbs. "And don't open them until I tell you, all right?"

Elizabeta nodded slowly, closing her eyes and placing her hands over them, just in case. She really wanted to peek as she heard movement, but she had promised the albino she wouldn't, so she kept them closed and covered.

_He probably bought me a present!,_ she thought eagerly, smiling behind her hands. _Maybe it's one of those gay romance novels I read once… _Heart pounding happily from the idea, Eliza waited impatiently for her gift to be shown to her, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"All right," she heard Gilbert say after a moment, when the movement had ceased. "You can open them."

Elizabeta eagerly pulled her hands away from her face, clasping them in front of her chest, and opened her eyes, which shone with excitement.

Her heart almost stopped. Almost.

Astonishment shoved aside excitement on her face, her cheeks now red and her eyes wide.

Gilbert was on one knee in front of her, a small smile on his confident face, though his eyes betrayed him by showing his nervousness. In his hand—which didn't tremble at all, surprisingly—was a small, black velvet box. It wasn't opened, but Elizabeta had a pretty goody idea of what was inside.

"Elizabeta Hedevary," Gilbert began, slowly opening the box, but not enough to let her truly see what was inside. "I'm not the emotional type, so this might suck, but… I love you, Elizabeta, and when I saw that human wedding on the beach back home, I realized that I wanted you to have a great ceremony like that. I want everyone to know that you belong to me, merfolk or human. Will you marry me?"

The ring box suddenly snapped open, revealing the most beautiful ring Elizabeta had ever seen.

The band was made of three eighteen karat gold rings together—two made of white gold and the one in the middle made of yellow gold. Then there was a shiny black pearl in the middle, but it was what was on either side of the pearl that really caught Elizabeta's eye. On either side of the pretty pearl was a part of a white gold clam shell that was encrusted with eighty-two white diamonds in rows; it looked like the clam shell was opening vertically and revealing the pearl slowly.

"Oh Poseidon…" Elizabeta reached out and picked up the box delicately, her fingers gently tracing the shimmering diamonds and then the gleaming black pearl. "Gilbert…this is the most beautiful ring I've ever seen… How much did this cost you…?"

Gilbert's pale face turned as red as his eyes as he glanced away. "Uh… About seven thousand-five hundred dollars…?"

Elizabeta lost her breath as she slowly slipped the ring onto her finger: a perfect fit. Just like us, she thought, smiling happily up the red-eyed merman. She felt tears of happiness come to her own green orbs as she threw her arms around him and held him tightly, not ever wanting to let him go.

"So…is that a yes?" Gilbert chuckled awkwardly, hugging her back just as tightly.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! YES!" Elizabeta kissed him passionately, the ring gleaming in the afternoon sun to promote her happiness to all. This was her world, her love, her everything. Her Gilbert.

"I love you," she whispered as she pulled away, wiping her eyes.

"I love you too, Mrs. Beilschmidt."

Elizabeta laughed.

**Meanwhile…**

"Arthur and I will be over here!" Alfred called to his family as he turned Arthur around, toward the otters. "Isn't this nice?" Alfred asked more quietly, his arm around Arthur's waist.

"Yes, it is, love," Arthur agreed, making sure no one was looking before pecking Alfred on the cheek. "Maybe we should come back here with the kids someday. I'm sure they'd love it."

Alfred smiled and chuckled. "Yeah? What if they tried to jump into one of the fish tanks, or take one of the starfish home from the touch-pools?"

"Alfred, I wouldn't raise them to be such fools!" Arthur snapped, glaring at him.

"You mean _we_ wouldn't raise them to be such fools," Alfred whispered lovingly, patting Arthur's stomach. "They're my babies too, Artie, and I love them just as much as you."

"I know you do," Arthur whispered, pressing his lips against Alfred's before remembering that they were in public. He quickly pulled away, blushing, before looking at the otters, hearing Alfred's laugh.

The otters played in their exhibit, splashing around in the water and just being downright adorable. They cracked clams open with rocks and wrapped each other in kelp.

When Arthur had been younger, he'd wanted an otter as a pet, but his mother had told him that otters may not be native to their waters, so he'd let it go.

"They're so cute!" a little girl said as she was hoisted up into her father's arms, pointing at a pair of otters grooming themselves.

"Yeah, sunshine, they are!" her father agreed, kissing her cheek. "Now come on, let's go get Mommy."

"Okay!" The little girl waved to the otters before being carried away, making Arthur and Alfred smile.

"Do you think, if we have any daughters, that it'll be like that for you?" Arthur asked, replaying the scene in his head, but picturing Alfred and one of the mermaids from his dream.

"I really hope so," Alfred whispered, squeezing Arthur's hand before leading him back to Mattie, Francis, and his parents.

**A/N: I might get to write a wedding soon! Anyway, if anyone wants to see Elizabeta's engagement ring, the link is on my profile. I didn't think it would work if I posted it here, so…**

**I'm not very talkative, mostly 'cause I'm watching the opening ceremonies to the Olympics right now.**

**Congratulations to you, British people! You guys are amazing with your dances and your queen and… You know, you're just awesome. I'm American, but I definitely like your country.**

**Goodbye! And good luck to everyone's countries at the Olympics!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Chapter 6

A week passed quickly, and then it was Matthew and Francis' turn to house Mr. and Mrs. Jones-Williams, much to Arthur and Alfred relief. As Alfred was helping his father get their things into Matthew's black Volvo, Arthur stood on the porch, waving goodbye with a smile on his face. He was so happy they would be staying with Matthew and Francis for the next few days, and then they'd go to a hotel in town; they'd leave after Halloween and said they wouldn't be coming back until next summer to see the babies.

As Alfred and Victor finished loading the trunk of the car and stood in the driveway talking to Matthew, Arthur realized something: Evangeline was watching him. Her large, curious blue eyes were trained on him, examining him from the shade of a tree in Alfred's front yard. Arthur felt his heart speed up and his breathing become a little uneven. Why was she looking at him like that? Was there something wrong with him? Did she— Oh, dear Poseidon, did she _know_?

She seemed to studying him carefully, and her eyes narrowed—as if to zoom in on something—before her husband came over to her to tell her that they were ready to go. She nodded, taking her eyes off of the nervous merman, and gave Alfred a kiss on the cheek before getting in the car and disappearing down the road with her husband.

"Thank God that's over!" Alfred said in an extremely relieved voice as he came up behind Arthur and wrapped his arms around his shoulders. Only then did he notice that Arthur was trembling a little. "Hey, Artie, you okay?"

Arthur gasped all the way through his next words, fighting back tears of worry as he did. "Alfred, what if Evangeline knows? Did you see how intently she was looking at me? It was like she already _knew_, but—"

"Arthur, calm down!" Alfred began to gently massage his lover's shoulders, trying to calm the gasping merman down. "You're overreacting! I'm sure my mom doesn't know a thing. Just relax, 'kay?"

Arthur nodded and instinctively wrapped his arms protectively around his growing midsection, as if it were the actual baby already. Though he'd agreed to relax via nod, his muscles were still tense and his instincts were telling him to eliminate any and all threats to his unborn child's health or safety.

"C'mon, Artie," Alfred whispered gently into his ear, stroking his cheek now. "They're only gonna be here for another three weeks. It's not like they're moving here. We'll be fine…"

And even though his heart begged him to believe Alfred, to fill with hope for the possibility that everything would be okay, his mind knew better. They had a bumpy road ahead of them, but since he loved Alfred, since Alfred loved him, and since they both loved their coming child, they would face it all together.

**Meanwhile…**

"Ve~! I'm so happy, Ludwig! Aren't you?" Feliciano had tears of joy spilling from his golden eyes, making them look like glittering orbs of fire-lit topaz. His heart was beating quickly and he had a hand resting on his still-flat stomach. In his other hand sat a positive pregnancy test that Ludwig had bought from the drugstore this morning, and an identically positive one sat on the counter.

Ludwig himself stood in the doorway, his eyes wide and his voice completely gone from his body. He…was going to be a father? They'd actually managed to conceive a baby? He looked down at Feliciano's hand-covered stomach and felt his heart thunder like herds of speeding horses. Without saying a word, he dropped to his knees in front of Feli, moving the Italian's hand aside and lifting up his shirt. He shushed the merman when he tried to speak, instead leaning forward and placing his forehead against his lover's stomach, closing his eyes as he pictured a baby boy with short blond hair and beautiful topaz eyes, or a baby girl with long ginger-brunette hair and aquamarine-blue eyes. With a smile and tears to match Feli's forming in his eyes, Ludwig placed a light kiss on Feliciano stomach and stood up, tossing the pregnancy tests away and hugging his lover tightly.

"I love you, Feliciano," he whispered to the confused but happy merman.

"I love you too, Ludwig."

**Meanwhile…**

Francis sat in his porcelain bathtub, running the fingers of his left hand gently and adoringly over his shiny red scales, and running the fingers of his right hand over his bump just as gently and adoringly. His head was resting on a soft white bath pillow, his golden locks splayed out around his head like flower petals, soaking up as much of his Ouidad Curl Quencher conditioner as they could before he rinsed off for the day.

It was a nice day on Salvation; the sun was shining, it wasn't too humid, the birds were playing in their birdhouse Francis had bought for them, and it was just one of those days were you could relax and do whatever—

"Francis, we're home!"

"_Oh putain!" _Francis whisper-shouted, ducking his head under the water to get the conditioner out. He'd just now remembered that he and Matthew would be housing the Jones-Williams parents until Friday, and then they'd be going to the best hotel in town, which happened to be a large, turn-of-the-century mansion that had been made into a nice place to stay…if you didn't mind a ghost or two…

"Francis, where are you?" Evangeline called out, making the merman flop his tail a bit when he remembered he was suppose to show her fabric options for the dress he was making her.

"I'm in the tub!" Francis called as he jumped out of said tub and dried his tail, making it turn into a pair of smooth legs. _"Un instant, s'il vous plait!" _He quickly dried the rest of his body and then his hair before wrapping himself in a large, plush white robe and draining the tub.

"Francis, could you help me with my bag?" Evangeline asked once he was out of the bathroom. She gestured to the heavy-looking suitcase at her feet. "Victor and Matthew just went upstairs and it's pretty heavy."

Francis was about to agree to help when he remembered that people who are pregnant aren't suppose to lift heavy objects, so he had to—politely—decline. "_Je suis desole, _Miss Evangeline, but I'm afraid I'm not very strong. I probably wouldn't even be able to drag that thing upstairs for you. I'm sure either Matthieu or Victor will be able to help you once they come back."

With that, he headed upstairs into his and Matthew's room, where he quickly put on a large burgundy T-shirt, a pure white sweater, and a pair of blue jeans. He brushed out his hair, blow-dried it, and then tied it back with a ribbon the same color as his T-shirt. When he went back downstairs, Evangeline was still standing at the foot of the staircase, only her bag was gone now.

"Matthew took it upstairs," she explained when Francis asked about it.

Francis nodded and led her to his little design studio to show her the fabrics, designs, and colors he had in mind. And though they got a lot done, Evangeline never stopped looking at him closely, like she was trying to figure something out…

**That night, at Matthew's house…**

"Victor, there's something up with Arthur and Francis," Evangeline said as she brushed out her hair for the night, a determined look on her face. "I just can't figure out what. Like, why did I always wake up to hear Arthur puking, and why does Francis act like an overemotional five-year-old?"

Victor looked up from his channel surfing, raising an eyebrow at his wife of almost twenty years. "Geline, honey, I don't think there's anything wrong with them. Maybe they're just sick?"

"No, this isn't like an illness… It's almost like they're…_pregnant_." Evangeline shook her head at that possibility; men couldn't get pregnant.

"Well, whatever's wrong with them, I'm sure they'll be okay," Victor said as Evangeline got into bed. As he turned off the TV, Evangeline turned off the lam beside the bed and kissed her husband.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

**At Alfred's house…**

"Oh God, Alfred!" Arthur cried as he uncontrollably came down his lover's throat, colors exploding beautifully behind his shut eyelids like fireworks made of watercolor paint. His body shook as the pleasure ran through him like his blood was _made_ of it.

Between his legs, Alfred swallowed Arthur's seed and smirked, wiping his lips before leaning up to kiss the trembling merman.

"Feel better?" he whispered against the soft, kiss-plumped lips that he loved. Those lips were now parting in response, stained a deeper cherry than usual from all the blood rushing there.

"Yes, love, yes I do," he breathed, kissing Alfred's neck as he ran his fingers through the human's silky, already-mussed hair. "But you still have a problem," he noted, gently rubbing his knee against the bulge in Alfred's American flag boxers.

"I can go take care of that," Alfred said as he tried to rise from the bad. This night had really been about Arthur needing to feel better, since he'd been stressed like crazy all day.

"But, Alfred…" Arthur's cheeks became as pink as the tips of a Moonstone rose. "I want you to make love to me…"

"Arthur…" Alfred glanced at Arthur's swelling stomach, concerned. It wasn't that he was disgusted by Arthur carrying his child, it just made him think about what might happen if he hit something inside Arthur and the baby got messed up?

"Please, my love," Arthur begged, but he already knew he was going to lose. Alfred didn't look any close to giving in, so he just sighed and curled up under the covers. "All right. I understand that you don't find me attractive right now. It's okay."

"What? No, Arthur that's not it!" Alfred cried, the bulge fading away as he wrapped his arms around his pregnant lover. "I just don't want to accidentally hurt the baby. I do love you, Arthur, and I think you're the most beautiful person in the world, I swear."

Arthur turned to face the American, kissing him softly and quickly. "You do?"

"Of course I do! I just don't want to make love because the baby's getting bigger, and I'm afraid I'll hurt it somehow." Alfred rubbed the bump and sighed. He didn't want Arthur to be insecure, even if it _was_ just part of the process. He hated it when Arthur was like this. "Okay, how about this? Tomorrow night, I'll take you to this amazing place I found the last time we went swimming together, okay? It's beautiful, Artie; you'll love it!"

Arthur watched his lover carefully, but nodded, liking the idea of Alfred taking him somewhere just for them. "Very well. I forgive you, Alfred. It's just the hormones, really. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Alfred said as he turned off the lights, lying behind Arthur so they were spooning. "Goodnight."

"Sleep tight, love."

**Meanwhile...**

Elizabeta _still_ couldn't get over how beautiful her engagement ring was, even though she'd had it for a week already. She sat on the bed in the guestroom of Ludwig's house as she waited for Gilbert to return from the kitchen with their caramel popcorn. Since neither of them could sleep for some reason, they'd decided to stay up and watch a movie. However, since all the movies were downstairs, she'd told Gilbert to just pick whichever ones he wanted.

"The Awesome Me has returned!" Gilbert announced with a smirk as he opened the door, a bowl of caramel popcorn under one arm and a stack of DVDs under the other.

"What movies did you grab?" Elizabeta pulled the stack out from underneath his arm and began to look them over while he situated himself next to her and put the popcorn between them.

Gilbert had grabbed _The Lovely Bones_, _Titanic_, _The Simpsons Movie_, _Van Helsing_, _Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest_, _James Cameron's Avatar_, the latest version of _King Kong_, and _The Hunger Games_.

After reading the back of each movie and studying the cover, Elizabeta decide they'd stay up all night watching them in alphabetical order, which meant they were watching the Hunger Games first.

At the scene where Katniss was volunteering in Prim's place, Gilbert spoke up. "I'd probably do something like that for Ludwig, or for you."

"Even if you were sure you'd die?" Elizabeta asked in shock, pausing the movie. She'd always known there was a deeper, more caring side to Gilbert; he just rarely showed it.

"Of course! Better me than you two." He turned at her and smiled, picking up her hand and kissing the engagement ring. "You only know if you truly love and care for someone, whether they be family or friend, if you're willing to die for them or in their place. And I would give up my life if I knew you or my little brother would be safe."

Elizabeta smiled and kissed him before turning the movie back on. "I love you," she whispered as Katniss said goodbye to her family on the screen.

"And I love you," Gilbert responded with a smile.

**A/N: PAY ATTENTION:**

**Okay, so the only reason this chapter is so short, is because of the kinda long author's note that I would really appreciate you guys actually read through.**

**Okay, so I AM going to finish this story, I just wanted to ask which one you guys would prefer for a next story. Two options will be AU, the other will not.**

**Alfred as a Demon Prince who's forced into an arranged marriage with Arthur, who's an Angel Prince.**

**America plays a prank on Romania, blames England, and gets England turned into a vampire; England then lays low at America's house for a little while.**

**Or, possibly, a sequel to this, so it would be like a trilogy.**

**I'd give more information, but I already have the plots worked out for either of the first two options, and I don't want to give anything away.**

**Anyway, to any of those who paid attention when I wrote PAY ATTENTION, I thank you and wish your country luck in the Olympics.**

**Goodbye!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Chapter 7

Arthur awoke just as the sun was rising into the morning sky, making it pink, pale blue, and gold. Birds were just starting to chirp and the air was neither too cold nor too warm. It would've been the perfect opportunity to put on a robe, go get the paper, and make some coffee or tea…for a normal person. Arthur, however, had awoken this early because he needed to run to the bathroom to hurl up his guts.

"You're not making this easy," he muttered tiredly to his bump as he flushed the toilet for the second time. He brushed his teeth twice, rinsed his mouth twice, and then washed both the sink and his toothbrush twice. Just to be sure.

"Arthur?" Alfred called drowsily from the bedroom. "You awake?"

"Of course I am, you idiot," Arthur said as he walked back into their room, crawling into his lover's lap. "Why else would you wake up to the sound of someone throwing up in your house?"

Alfred blinked, as if he were looking for an answer, before shrugging and changing the subject. "Right… So, what time did you want to leave for that special place?" His blue eyes gleamed with an emotion Arthur couldn't really discern, but he figured it was happiness, since Alfred was smiling as he said that.

"Well, how long will it take us to get there?" Arthur asked, pointing to his stomach. "And is it hard to get there?"

"It should take us twenty minutes if we leave from the beach," Alfred said. "It's…kind of underwater and just passed the tide pools."

Arthur was a little confused by the "kind of underwater" thing, but waved it off and told Alfred they'd leave around eleven or noon. After that, Alfred made him banana pancakes with strawberry syrup and Earl Grey tea before making himself a plate of French toast and hazelnut coffee.

Arthur, while not in the weird cravings phase yet, still ate a lot, so Alfred had made him three pancakes and enough tea for another _four_ _people_; but, miraculously, he ate it all.

"Dude," Alfred said in awe as he watched Arthur pack away the second pancake and third cup of tea, "I mean, _I eat_, but you're…you're just… Where ya keeping all that, man?!"

Arthur looked up from pouring strawberry syrup on the last of his second pancake and glared at Alfred. Wordlessly, he pointed to his protruding stomach, and Alfred sheepishly looked away.

"Oh, right…sorry."

**Later, at Ludwig's house…**

"Ve~! Good morning, Ludwig! Isn't it beautiful outside?" Feliciano said as he hopped out of bed—in a button-down and his boxers—while his German lover slowly opened his tired, ice-blue eyes.

Feliciano threw open the window beside their bed and poked his head out, waving good morning to a lady walking down the street, and then waving to the birds nesting in the tree in front of their window. He couldn't help feeling so happy, really; last night, he'd been overjoyed to discover that he was pregnant with Ludwig's baby, and he couldn't wait until Lovino came to visit him for Christmas to tell him—and possibly show him, if he had a bump by then.

"Feliciano, get inside!" Ludwig gripped Feli's hips and pulled him inside, closing the window. "What have I told you about embarrassing us in front of the neighbors?"

Feliciano smiled and wrapped his arms around Ludwig's neck, standing up on his tip-toes to kiss him. "I'm sorry, Luddy. I just want to share my happiness with the world!" With that, Feliciano began to run downstairs—possibly to Elizabeta and Gilbert's room to tell them—causing Ludwig's protective side to turn on.

"Wait, Feliciano, you shouldn't run!" Ludwig called out worriedly as he ran after his small Italian lover.

Feliciano smiled as he came to Gilbert and Elizabeta's room, knocking on the door nonstop. "Wake up, you guys! I have great news! Come on, open!" His calling out turned to whining as Ludwig reached him, watching him curl one leg up behind him and bounce eagerly on the other.

After a few more minutes of Feliciano knocking on the door and interrupting their precious sleep, Gilbert threw open the door, his red eyes irritated and his silver hair tossed this way and that. He wore a rumpled, black button-down and red boxers, half the buttons done up on his shirt, revealing some of his smooth white chest.

"What do you want, Feli?" he hissed, rubbing the last of the sleep from his eyes as Elizabeta came up behind him. She was dressed in a white camisole and blue boy shorts with black stars on them. Her hair was pulled back in a ruffled ponytail and her green eyes were just as tired as Gilbert's.

"Guess what? I'm pregnant!" Feliciano turned and jumped into an unsuspecting Ludwig's arms before saying, "Isn't that great?"

"You woke us up for—" But Gilbert was interrupted by Elizabeta squealing and jumping up and down.

"That's fantastic! Wonderful!" She smiled at Gilbert at pointed to the engagement ring resting on her nightstand. "Should we tell them?" she mouthed. It still amazed her how they'd managed to go a week without either of the boys asking anything about why Elizabeta was walking around with such a pretty ring on her finger.

Gilbert nodded and smirked as he turned to his little brother and the happy merman, Elizabeta returning to the ring to put it on. "Guess what, Lud? Elizabeta and I are getting married!" He put his arm around Elizabeta proudly, waiting for his brother's reply more than Feli's.

Ludwig's eyes widened as he stared at the ring on the Hungarian mermaid's finger. How much had that thing _cost_?!

"Ve~! Congratulations, you guys!" Feliciano launched himself from Ludwig's arms and into an even more unsuspecting Gilbert's.

**Meanwhile…**

"So it will be silk, silver with a blue ribbon, and knee-length, correct?" Francis asked a little nervously as he finished sketching out the final design of the dress Evangeline had in mind.

On the sketchpad was a drawing of a knee-length, one-shoulder silver dress with a blue ribbon at the empire waist. A blue silk shawl was thrown across the shoulders of the drawn model, and the shoes were strappy silver sandals, the straps made of blue ribbons as well.

Evangeline glanced at the page, satisfied, and nodded. "Yes, that seems right. I like it Francis, really! You've got talent." As the Frenchman's eyes lit up and he began to thank her, Evangeline pretended to slip, her hand shooting out and grasping onto the part of the shirt that covered Francis' stomach. She was positive she felt something just a little firmer than a tubby person's stomach should be…

"_Mademoiselle Evangeline!" _Francis cried as he helped her up and held her at arms length. "Are you all right?!"

_Please tell me you didn't feel anything, _Francis chanted in his head. _Please tell me you didn't feel anything…_

"I'm fine, Francis," Evangeline said as she brushed the nonexistent dust off her white chiffon blouse. "Thanks for helping me. Anyway, Victor's taking me to lunch, so I need to go, but I love the dress!" She leaned over and quickly pecked the merman on the cheek before grabbing her black Prada bag and heading out.

Francis took a deep breath as the woman disappeared, placing his hand on his bump and rubbed it soothingly. He leaned back in his royal-blue velvet chair, thinking of how close that'd been.

"Francis, my parents are gone!" Matthew said as he walked into the room, dressed in blue jeans, a sweatshirt, and bare feet. "They won't be back until two."

Francis glanced up, a spark running through his body, igniting flames in each part it danced over. He raised a suggestive eyebrow and walked over to his lover, his hips swaying a little as he did.

"Does my Matthieu wish to show me how much he loves me?"Francis cooed, running his index finger from Matthew's hairline to jaw slowly, his touch just ghosting over the Canadian's soft, reddening skin.

Matthew smiled shyly as he closed and locked the door behind them, leaning against it. "_Bien sur je le fais, Francis. _I always do."

Francis smirked and pressed his body gently against his lover's, leaning over and teasingly brushing his lips over Matthew's cheek, his fingers tangling into the soft, light blonde waves of the human's hair. "Do you love me?" he breathed against Matthew's cheek, one of his hands returning to his own body to remove his blazer.

"Y-Yes," Matthew stuttered, turning his head so the tip of his nose ran over Francis' stubbly jaw. "Why else would I put up with you?"

Francis laughed before leaning down and pressing his lips chastely against Matthew's, letting the love he felt for him radiate into the kiss. He tugged the Canadian's sweatshirt over his head and tossed it away, hearing it hit the ground with a soft thud. He kissed Matthew more passionately now, his tongue slipping slowly into the warm cavern that was the shy boy's mouth. Their tongues wrestled and Matthew began to unbutton the oversized shirt, one hand doing the actual unbuttoning and the other hand running over each new inch of soft skin that was revealed until he came to Francis' slight bump. He paid extra special attention to this—uncovered—part of Francis, tracing its perimeter before simply rubbing the center, feeling Francis gasp against his lips. The shirt fell to the ground and Francis pulled back, his cheeks pink and his lips swelling from their kissing. He grabbed the bottom of Matthew's long-sleeved shirt and pulled it over his head, immediately attacking the Canadian's pink buds, kissing and licking them as Matthew started to whimper.

"_Aimez-vous cela?" _Francis cooed, his tongue teasing Matthew's ticklish ribs.

Matthew chuckled and tugged playfully at Francis' golden locks. "Stop tickling me!" He gasped as Francis only persisted, his tongue flicking faster now.

Francis smiled and stood straight again, his hands undoing Matthew's pants and slipping into his boxers, feeling the Canadian's hard length throbbing in his hand. He himself—shockingly, really—hadn't been feeling very aroused lately—he blamed it on the pregnancy—but that didn't mean he had to leave Matthew all alone. So, as he sucked a hickey into Matthew's shoulder, he began to stroke, delighted to hear Matthew's moans sound out into the room as he did. He slid his tongue back into Matthew's mouth, running the silky muscle over his lover's pearly teeth as he felt the shy one grow closer to release.

"Francis…please…more…!" Matthew gasped, clinging to the Frenchman as he ran toward his completion. He was almost there…

"_Oui, mon cher," _Francis purred in his ear, his thumb running over the dripping head. _"Come."_

With one final jerk, Matthew felt as if he were flying in the night sky with the brilliant stars. Exhausted, he leaned against Francis, who stroked his hair and cleaned them up before getting them back into whatever clothes they'd discarded.

"Francis…you didn't want to…?" Matthew yawned, exhausted from both the great handjob and from having to run around the house for his parents all morning.

"No, Matthieu, I'm fine," Francis insisted, giving his lover one final peck before pulling him from the room. "But let us go to take a nap anyway, since you're so tired." With that, Francis guided Matthew to the bedroom, where they fell into a peaceful sleep together.

**Meanwhile…**

The beach, around this time of year—despite it being the weekend—was empty, except for the rare person and their dog. This is the reason why Arthur and Alfred were able to strip down near some rocks, hide their clothes, and wade into the water until they were both waist-deep. By then, Arthur's body had started to change, his legs morphing together and his soft skin changing into smooth, emerald-green scales to match his eyes; his neck growing gills so he could breathe in his true home. This was the form he'd known his whole life, the form—while not the one he'd come into the world in—that he'd only forsaken for Alfred, and Alfred alone. He slipped deeper into the water before popping his head back above the surface and holding his arms out to Alfred, who immediately went into them.

Alfred let Arthur pull him underwater and kiss him, feeling Arthur wrap his tail around as best as he could, given his body's current condition. He felt—through the kiss and how close Arthur physically was to him in this form—the merman, in a way, "sharing" who and what he really was with Alfred, inviting Alfred to become like him, if only for a little while. Alfred had gone through this kind of thing a few times before, and the first time he'd freaked out a little, but now he was calm whenever it happened and he accepted and embraced the change coming over his body.

Like Arthur, Alfred felt the skin of his neck open and separate, creating gills so he could breath. He could feel his legs coming together and morphing into a fishtail as the skin there turned into shiny, deep blue scales that gave off a silver-gold glow whenever light hit them just right. He pulled away from Arthur and tested his swimming skills before turning back and holding out his hand, which Arthur accepted with a smile. Alfred knew why Arthur was smiling; it was the same kind of smile that Alfred gave Arthur whenever Arthur came back from being in the sea without him. It was a smile that said _"You're like me again; you love me for who I am, because you've been what I am."_

_So where is this place?, _Arthur thought as Alfred led him toward the tide pools.

_It's near the tide pools, underwater, _Alfred thought back eagerly, ignoring the way Arthur ran his fingers over his blue scales. _We should be there in ten minutes._

When they finally reached the place Alfred was talking about, all Arthur saw was an undersea cave. Raising a fuzzy brow, he hesitantly followed the American to the entrance, glad they didn't go in right away. Instead, Alfred swam down to a bed of kelp and lifted a small, handheld mirror out of it.

_I put this here the last time we swam by, _Alfred thought as he presented it to Arthur. _I wrapped it tightly in kelp. You never know when you're gonna need it, right? _He smiled before turning to the mirror and thinking the spell he needed.

_Golden orb that swims in the blue, lend me your light for a moment or two!_

The mirror suddenly illuminated with a golden light similar to that of the sun, lighting up the crystal-clear waters around them. Alfred smiled and swam to the entrance of the cave, the mirror in one hand and Arthur's own hand in the other.

_Alfred…you're sure this is safe?, _Arthur thought warily as Alfred started forward, his grip on the American's hand becoming deadly.

_Of course it is! I already checked it out! Now, can I please have the circulation back in my hand?!_

_Oh! Sorry, love. _Arthur smiled sheepishly as Alfred led them through the long dark cavern. It was a little cold, but not that scary, so long as they had the light and each other, Arthur figured.

Soon, however, they came to what Arthur presumed was the end of the cavern, where the water grew a little brighter than the black abyss they'd been seeing. It took Arthur a second to realize, as they slipped into the slightly brighter water, that they were at the bottom of some kind of—

_This is the bottom of a __very__ inactive, __very__ small volcano, _Alfred explained as they swam to the surface. _It cooled down like two thousand years ago, according to the scientists that studied it, and eventually a cave to the sea formed and it filled with water, just making it even more inactive. It's full of rock now, too, and it's basically like a cave with a skylight. See? We're almost to the surface now._

After a few more pushes with their tails, their heads broke the surface and the light from the mirror faded. Alfred's eyes widened as he looked around while Alfred put the mirror on a nearby rock.

This place was _beautiful_!

The walls were made of rocks that looked like they still had crystals in them, and the sunlight pouring in from overhead made the water warm and much clearer. As Arthur continued to look around, he noticed there were two other, smaller pools in the grotto, surrounded by smooth, glittering rocks. As he looked underwater, he saw that there were archways underneath the surface to both of those pools, where—after quickly testing each of them—he discovered that the water in those two pools was even warmer than the water in the large middle pool.

Alfred sat on the edge of one of the warmer pools, his tail languidly swishing back and forth, like he was in an indoor heated swimming pool. He slipped further into the water, leaning his head back and sighing happily.

"This is better than any spa could offer, Artie." As Arthur slid next to him and relaxed as well, he said, "Well, maybe this one spa I was forced to go to with my family beats this; it's in Napa."

Arthur shuddered as the sun-warmed water relaxed his muscles and made him calm. The feel of the warm sun, the warm water, and Alfred's warm body next to his… This must be heaven, though Arthur wouldn't mind trying out one of those "spa" things one day, especially the one Alfred was talking about; it sounded nice, and he'd heard that this Napa place was known as Wine County in California. (Francis would definitely enjoy that.)

"Maybe when the kids are born," Arthur began, curling closer to Alfred as the sun warmed them and the water relaxed them, "and a little older, we could leave them with your parents and go to a nice spa ourselves."

Alfred chuckled and put his arms around Arthur. "Spas aren't really something you see guys lining up to get into, Artie…but I guess we can go, if you really want to."

Arthur smiled and sighed, kissing Alfred slowly and sweetly. "I'm glad you brought me here, Al. I love you, our children, and this place."

"I love it all too, Artie. Especially how calm you are."

Arthur practically giggled. "Oh, love!"

**A/N: PAY ATTENTION:**

**Okay, a few things, so I'd like you guys to PAY ATTENTION the whole way through again.**

**One: I'm sorry the Franada wasn't that good; I got lazy. Forgive me? *Gives puppy-dog face and another free Hetalia clone***

**Two: Since a lot people had two or more preferences on the "next story" thing, I've decided to do them all separately, and they'll go in this order exactly: third part of this series, then England as a vampire, and finally, the Angel/Demon thing will be the finale; that way, everyone gets a little bit of what they want. And then I'll come up with something else…**

**Three: If anyone wants to write little one-shots or short stories based on this story or draw cute art, you have my permission. Just PM me the link(s) if you do, 'cause I totally want to see it! (Make sure there are spaces in the links so they don't get erased in the PM.) The one-shots don't have to take place during one of the stories; they can just be little snippets of what you think these peoples' lives have been like so far or think they'll be like in the future, if you want. They just can't be all that dark and sad.**

**Again, thanks for paying attention. You guys are awesome! Love ya! Bye!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: If I owned Hetalia… I'd be one rich little— *Shakes head* Nevermind… I don't own Hetalia.**

Chapter 8

Arthur simply would've loved to stay down in that grotto forever with Alfred, far away from the cares of everything else; sadly, though, that wasn't possible…or at least not fair to those on land. So, around the time the sunlight was starting to turn bronze-gold and the sky overhead began to turn pink, Alfred reactivated the light in the mirror and guided Arthur back to the beach, where they dried off, redressed, and made their way home.

"That was such a relaxing time, love," Arthur said softly, resting his head on Alfred's arm. "Thank you."

"I figured that you needed it, dude," Alfred replied as he unlocked the front door. "What with all the freaky nightmares you've been having, and all this stress from my parents. I'm no Ludwig, but I'm pretty sure stress isn't good for the baby."

Arthur shook his head and patted his stomach as they made their way inside. "No, darling, it can't be. I really should try to relax more, but I can't." He shuddered as he wrapped his arms around Alfred's waist from behind, resting his head between his lover's shoulder blades. "What if I really do get taken away from you, like I did with Calder? I don't think I can survive that a second time." He stood on his tip-toes and gently kissed the back of Alfred's neck a few times before his feet gave out.

"Wait, Arthur," Alfred began as he turned to face the merman, a smile on his lips, "isn't tomorrow the full moon? Won't Calder and his brothers be here? Maybe they can help you unwind!"

Arthur burst out laughing and collapsed onto the couch. "Oh, that's bloody rich! That a _brilliant_ idea, Alfred! Yes, I will convince my older brothers—who've been torturing me my entire bloody life!—to help me relax for the sake of the baby!"

"Exactly!" Alfred said, understanding that Arthur was being sarcastic, but still liking his own plan. "And like you said, it's for the sake of the _baby_, not for _you_! They would help if it was for the baby!"

Arthur stopped laughing, raising one of his oversized brows. "Really? You think that'll work? Okay, I guess it's worth a shot." Arthur suddenly smiled. "But you owe me, darling…"

Alfred blushed and looked away. "S-Sure, Artie. Okay."

Arthur laughed and grabbed Alfred's shirt, pulling him onto the couch with him so they could snuggle. "Now," he began as he picked up the remote and flicked on the TV, "let's watch _True_ _Blood_, because I think Bill's going Dark Side."

Alfred smiled and let Arthur cuddle up against him as they watched the vampires on the screen get as high as a kite off "Lilith's" blood. (It sort of reminded him of this group of hobos he'd seen once on his way home from school. Thankfully, when he'd seen them, he'd been driving.)

**Meanwhile…**

"Matthew, sweetie," Evangeline began seriously as she cornered her son in the garden, "we need to talk."

Matthew felt his blood run cold at those words as he slowly turned away from his white gladiolas to face his mother. "Y-Yes, Mom?"

Evangeline sat down on the large garden swing behind her and patted the space at her side. Matthew gave in and sat down, his body trembling all over and his face heating up. What was his mother going to say?

"Matthew Williams, look at me," Evangeline demanded as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Matthew glanced over at his mother, the nervousness evident in his eyes. He'd never been as good at keeping calm as Alfred was, anyway. "Y-Yeah?"

"Matthew, I know about Francis and Arthur," Evangeline said calmly.

"I swear, we didn't know at first! Well, Al didn't, but—" Matthew froze as he thought over his mother's statement. She hadn't said _what_ she knew about them.

"Uh… So, Mom, what exactly do you know?"

"I know that they're pregnant men and that you and Alfred are the fathers," Evangeline said, her voice still calm and serious.

"Please don't tell anyone, Mom!" Mattie begged, grasping his mother's arms tightly. "Don't even tell Dad! You know what he'll say!"

"Your father isn't homophobic!" Evangeline snapped, defending her husband. "And you know it!"

"Yeah, but he's still going to think a pregnant man is weird! Just please don't tell him…or anyone else! Please! We love them!"

Evangeline sighed and looked into the begging blue eyes of her younger son. "Matthew, I can't keep something like that from your father. I'm sorry, but I'll have to tell him. I'm going to call Alfred to tell him I know afterwards. End of discussion."

"But, Mom—"

"_End of discussion." _Evangeline stood up and turned to walk away, but a thought came to her mind. "Matthew…how are Arthur and Francis able to…you know…_be_ pregnant…?"

Matthew looked up at his mother, mentally debating whether or not it was a good time to tell her the _entire_ truth. Evangeline was a calm woman, and she was handling what she already knew rather well…

"Mom, there's more you should know about them. Sit back down, okay?" He smiled weakly and patted the swing like she had moments ago.

Evangeline shrugged and sat back down, waiting patiently for her son to get whatever needed to be said out of his system. "What is it?"

"Well, Francis and Arthur aren't exactly…like us," Mattie said with a nervous rub to the back of his neck, his eyes not meeting his mother's. "They're actually…pretty different…"

"I…don't follow you," Evangeline said, confused, before an idea came to her head, and she rolled her eyes. "Oh, they're not like those aliens your brother is always talking about, right?"

"No, Mom, they're not." Matthew took a deep breath, preparing to admit his lover's secret. "They're merman from Europe who came over here to find mates! They were supposed to be with mermaids, but they fell in love with us and stayed here when everyone else left! Now they're pregnant and due in March!" He gasped in relief, glad he'd finally gotten that out of his system.

"Matthew…that can't be true," Evangeline said gently, fearing for her son's mental health. "You're not serious…"

"I am, Mom! Francis will deny it, but go ask Arthur! He'll even show you!"

Evangeline sighed and stood up. "If it will help me to stop thinking about it, fine." With that, Evangeline left to go get the truth from the man carrying one of her grandchildren.

**Meanwhile…**

"Mirror, as I speak to you, reveal my brother, who swims in the blue." The mirror glowed for a moment before revealing a merman with a shiny purple tail and darker hair than Feliciano's own, but with the same random curl sticking up from his head. His golden eyes were irritated as he watched a certain Spanish merman flirt his way into getting a few giggling mermaids to give him some of their fish.

Feliciano sighed sadly. He missed his older brother so, and would give absolutely anything to have him here at the moment. Unfortunately, though, Gilbert had told Feliciano that his brother and Antonio were somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea.

At his side sat Elizabeta, who was going through bridal magazines to find a good wedding dress, or at least an example of a good wedding dress that she could use as inspiration. Her fingers leafed through the glossy pages, a smile on her lips, as she hummed quietly to herself. It was obvious that she was in her own little world; a world made of white dresses and champagne, or tuxedos and flowers.

However, the Hungarian girl did manage to catch her Italian friend's little sigh, and it stirred concern in her and lured her away from her happy little wedding world.

"Are you all right, Feliciano?" she asked as she dog-eared the page in her magazine that she'd been reading and put it down. "You sound a little sad…"

"I'm sorry, Liz," Feli said as the image faded from the clean mirror. "I just miss Lovino, is all."

Elizabeta smiled and hugged the saddened merman. "It's okay, dear. How about you help me look at dresses and things, okay?"

Feliciano's eyes immediately perked up, and he nodded. "Okay!"

**Meanwhile…**

"So you're really getting married to Elizabeta?" Ludwig inquired as Gilbert dropped a loaf of garlic bread in the basket.

"How many times to I have to say yes before you believe me, huh?" Gilbert tossed his brother a playful glare and smirked. "How come you're not marrying Feliciano?"

"Gay marriage isn't allowed in Florida," Ludwig said. "I don't even think domestic partnership is. We'd have to leave the state and probably go somewhere like New York, and I just don't have time for that right now. Maybe someday, but not right now."

"That doesn't make any sense," Gilbert said with a shake of his head, comparing chocolate chip cookies to peanut butter. "Why try to keep to people apart when they really love each other?"

Ludwig shrugged. It was never a topic he'd paid much attention to, because up until he met Feliciano, he'd pretty much been asexual. "I don't know. Some people see it as immoral, or wrong. They let their fears or their religion cloud their judgment. I've had some religious patients over the years, though, who don't have any problems with gay people. Some are just raised that way, whether just by their family, or by a whole community."

Gilbert rolled his blood-red eyes. "I'll never understand you humans. Some of you think you're so evolved, and yet you let stuff like sexual orientation, race, and religion get in your way. I don't mean you, Alfred, or Matthew, but still."

Ludwig nodded in agreement, deciding to leave the subject alone for now. Instead, he observed the milk, trying to decide between one percent or two percent.

**Meanwhile…**

Evangeline knocked on the front door of Alfred's house, clicking her tongue impatiently. She hadn't been on the porch for very long, actually, but she just wanted to get this whole "merman" business out of the way before going to scold Matthew.

She was surprised to see Arthur open the door, but was nonetheless happy that someone had. "Good evening, Arthur," she said politely as the Brit stepped aside so she could come in. "How are you?"

"Uh…" Arthur glanced around warily as he closed the door, not locking it just in case he needed to make a run for it. "Mrs. Jones-Williams, Alfred's not here; he went to Burger King a few minutes ago. Do you need something?"

"Arthur, I know you and Francis are pregnant," Evangeline said, getting right to the point. "And I know Alfred and Matthew are the fathers."

Arthur's eyes widened and his heart started to beat a mile-per-second. He could feel little beads of sweat forming on his forehead as pressure starting coming to his lungs, making him wheeze and hyperventilate at the same time.

"Arthur, calm down!" Evangeline cried as she gently rubbed his shoulders and back. "I'm not going to do anything to you, I promise! Just relax, please, because this isn't good for the baby!"

That struck a chord in Arthur and he relaxed. He took in deep, even breaths as his heart rate returned to normal and he wiped the sweat from his skin. "I'm so sorry, Evangeline. It's just that I've been having bad nightmares about you and your husband finding out and then sending me and Francis to some underground bunker in the desert to be experimented on."

"It's okay, dear," Evangeline soothed, realizing just how fragile Arthur was at this time. "I won't do that, I promise. You're part of the family now, okay? There's just one more thing I need to know."

Arthur nodded and turned to face her, since she was standing behind him. "What's that?"

"Are you really a merman, Arthur? Because Matthew told me that you and Francis are."

Arthur nodded and asked his mother-in-law to follow him to the bathroom. Once there, he told her to wait outside until he called her in. She agreed and he closed the door behind him.

"You can do this," he told himself in a whisper as he filled the bathtub with water. "You can do this…"

He stripped and stepped in the water, sitting down as the change came over his body. His long, slender legs turned into a beautiful, green-scaled fishtail, and slits opened in the sides of his neck as gills. He closed his eyes and relaxed himself a little before opening them and calling out, "You can come in now!"

As Evangeline stepped into the room, her blue eyes widened and her shell-pink lips parted in astonishment. Her body shook a little as she stared at the beautiful sight before her; Arthur, as nature intended for him, slowly lifting his tail over the edge of the tub.

"This is…_real_?" she asked with gasp, gently holding onto the end of Arthur's smooth tail. She traced each scale she could reach, her eyes shining with amazement and wonder. "It isn't fake?"

"It's real," Arthur said softly, wriggling it in her hands. "Pull on it and see if it comes off."

Evangeline pulled gently, but when Arthur's tail didn't budge, she let out a girlish squeal of delight. "Oh, Arthur, this is amazing! I promise I won't tell anyone, really! Alfred is lucky to have you!"

Arthur smiled, relieved that Evangeline still liked him, despite being half-fish. "Just be careful when you tell that frog that you know; he might faint."

Evangeline laughed at the idea, her fingers still tracing Arthur's scales in amazement.

**A/N: Now Evangeline knows for sure, but her husband doesn't! And sorry this is so short, again. I'm going on vacation tomorrow—last one of the summer—and just wanted you guys to have something while I'm gone. Anyway, so I'm not gay, but I do have gay relatives, and since I live in California, our gay marriage laws are a little confusing, so all that stuff Ludwig and Gilbert were saying are pretty much how I feel. I mean absolutely NO OFFENSE TO ANYONE who took that the wrong way, I SWEAR!**

**Anyway, see you guys when I get back! Love ya! Bye!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, my lovelies. (Why did I just call you that? Sorry.) Anyway, on with the show!**

Chapter 9

The next day was the first day of October, and Alfred was already lugging boxes of Halloween decorations in from the garage, a happy, childlike excitement blooming to life in his sea-blue eyes. Arthur watched from the couch, Evangeline at his side, as his lover brought it boxes filled with pumpkin-shaped, bat-shaped, and spider-shaped lanterns. According to Alfred, when lit, the lanterns each gave off a different color: the pumpkins glowed a gold-red color, the bats glowed twilight-purple, and the spiders gave off an eerie acid-green light. Alfred hung them from the roof with a gleeful look before bounding over to his wilting trees and wrapping them each in some of the most realistic-looking fake cobwebs Arthur had ever seen.

"_This is Halloween, this is Halloween," _Alfred sang excitedly under his breath as he filled the trees with fake tarantulas and then hung some hanged skeletons from the sturdy branches. He littered the lawn with gravestones, and whenever you passed by some particular gravestones, a skeleton or zombie would pop out and yell, "Happy Halloween!" or "Trick-or-treat!"

"Has Alfred always liked Halloween this much?" Arthur asked as he peered out the window.

Evangeline looked up from the Halloween issue of _Home & Garden_ and smiled fondly. "Oh, yes, he has. When he was little, he dressed up as every imaginable superhero, and when he became a teenager, he was every slasher film villain. Matthew usually stuck to the more traditional costumes, like Dracula or a mummy. What about you?"

"We don't—and can't really—celebrate Halloween in the ocean. I mean, I know what it is from books and seeing signs and stuff, but I've never actually gone trick-or-treating before, nor have I ever dressed up in a costume." A grin came to Arthur's face then, and he chuckled quietly as he watched Alfred line the pathway to their door with skull-like candleholders. "Maybe I can go as myself…next year, of course," he added as he glanced down at his stomach. He sighed, a sad smile gracing his face now as he ran a hand over his bump. "Ah… So many things that I can't do with this bump."

"I know how you feel," Evangeline said as she joined him in watching Alfred decorate the yard. "But all the difficulties are worth when you actually see them. When you're actually able to hold them in your arms and look into their eyes, it's worth it. I hated being pregnant with Matthew and Alfred, but when they were born, when I held them for the first time and saw there cute little noses and their pudgy bodies, I just knew I loved them, no matter what." She sighed softly and put a hand over her heart. "Time really does fly… One minute, they're holding your hand and asking for help, and the next"—she turned and pointed to Arthur with a smile—"they're parents themselves."

Arthur laughed as Alfred came inside, grabbing his speakers and his old CD player. "Now for the creepy music," he said to himself with a smirk, running back outside. A moment later, the suspenseful, creepy music from _Friday the 13th_ was playing in the neighborhood, and you could hear Alfred crying, "It works!"

**Meanwhile…**

Unlike his brother, Matthew usually didn't start decorating until a week or two before Halloween actually arrived, so at this moment, he was at the grocery store, trying to decide between regular chocolate and chocolate with almonds. At his side was his father, who was studying a bag of nacho cheese Doritos.

"Matt, have you noticed anything weird about that Francis guy?" Victor asked his youngest son as casually as he could.

Matthew froze up, biting back a whimper as his hands trembled slightly. "No, I haven't, Dad. Why do you ask?"

Victor shrugged and grabbed the Doritos. "I don't know. Your mother was talking about how he and Arthur seemed sick or something. Just wanted to see if you thought something might be wrong."

Matthew let out a silent sigh of relief before glancing around, just in case someone had caught that conversation. No one apparently had, but he did notice a familiar couple walking into the store, and a smile spread across his face as he waved them over.

"Hey, guys!" He had never been happier to see Ludwig and Feliciano, deciding to use them as a distraction, lest his father decide to continue their conversation.

"Oh, hello, Matthew," Ludwig said calmly, removing his reading glasses as he looked up from the list of groceries he was carrying.

"Mattie, I have great news!" Feliciano chirped, leaning over to whisper in his ear. "I'm pregnant!"

As the excited Italian leaned away, Matthew's eyes lit up. "Congratulations, Feli! That's great!"

"What's great?" Victor asked, finally breaking in on the conversation.

"Oh! Sorry, Dad…forgot you were there… You remember Mr. Beilschmidt's son Ludwig, right?" He gestured to the icy-eyed German who nodded and smiled politely at Mr. Jones.

"Yeah, I remember him!" Victor laughed as he shook hands with the doctor. "Of course, the last time I saw him, he was a sophomore in high school. Man, you got tall!"

Ludwig chuckled before gesturing to the confused merman at his side. "This is Feliciano, he's my… Well, I don't really have a word for it, because 'boyfriend' sounds too teen-magazine-like. But I am in a relationship with him."

Victor shook hands with Feliciano as well, still smiling. "It's nice to meet you, Feliciano. Now, what was my son congratulating you on?"

Feliciano's gold eyes widened, but before he could stutter out some pathetic answer that would spike Victor's curiosity once more, Matthew jumped in with, "He got into the next year's art class that he applied for at Salvation Uni. Isn't that great?"

"Oh, well, then congratulations _are_ in order!" Victor patted the relieved Italian on the back before turning away and pulling out his Droid RAZR. "Let me call Francis real quick and see what I can do about all of us going out to dinner to celebrate on Friday, after Evangeline and I get settled in our hotel."

As Victor left the store to call Francis, all three of them let out breaths that none of them realized they'd been holding.

"Thanks for the save," Ludwig said, his voice low just in case anybody else walked into the aisle.

"Don't mention it. My dad doesn't know, but my mom does. You can talk to her about it. We haven't told my dad because we're afraid he might act differently than my mom; he's never been as calm as her." Matthew shook his head and sighed. "Man… I wish I could relax. At least they'll be leaving a few days after Halloween, so they won't be here much longer." A terrible thought came to Matthew's head then. "Oh, man!"

"What?" Ludwig and Feliciano asked together.

"We'll have to go back to California for Thanksgiving!"

**Meanwhile…**

"Gilbert, I think we need to hire a wedding planner," Elizabeta said as she looked up from about her one hundredth bridal magazine. "Because I won't be able to do this on my own."

Gilbert glanced away from the confusing football game he was watching on TV. (He didn't know why he was watching it; he could barely understand the European version, so why was he watching the American version?) "Oh? What if the Awesome Me helps you?"

Elizabeta shook her head and kissed his cheek. "That's sweet, Gil, but I still think I'd rather have a professional do this. Besides, I don't even think we've set a date for the wedding!"

The red-eyed merman nodded. His bride-to-be was right, really. "Well, Ludwig knows a lot of business people in this town. When he gets home, I'll ask him if he knows a wedding planner, 'kay?"

"That's sounds good, Gil. Thanks." There was a pause between them before Elizabeta said. "Maybe we should start thinking of things we want for the wedding now, so that when we do find a planner, we don't have to go through so much hassle."

"Okay then. So, where should we get married?" Gilbert asked, picturing a warm beach with nice, cool white sand.

"Where? Like, the location? Well, I was thinking that we could have it in a pretty castle setting, or maybe in a big, old-fashioned church." Elizabeta smiled at the thought of being in a room where all the windows were stained-glass, so that when the sun shone through them, they created rainbows on the guests, the preacher, Gilbert, and herself.

Gilbert glared at her, but she didn't see it, considering the fact that she was too busy picturing churches and castles. He sighed, realizing that planning a wedding may not be as easy as he'd thought it would be.

**Later…**

Arthur watched the moon glow like an iridescent pearl in the sky as it stood out against the deep, blue-black sky. His mother-in-law had gone back to Matthew's house around sunset for dinner, and Alfred was on the phone with Francis, talking about the plans for Friday. He heard Alfred hang up the phone and walk over to him, feeling him slip his arms around his waist.

Arthur, naturally, couldn't help but be spellbound by the moon. It was instinct really, at least when the thing was full. Back in the Old Times, merfolk used to have special ceremonies each full moon, honoring Selene herself as she pulled the large rock across the sky. Some merfolk even have a myth that the moon is actually a large, ancient pearl that Poseidon plucked from the sea and threw into the sky one night when Zeus angered him, but it got stuck up there before it could reach the heavens.

Arthur couldn't really explain it—no one, mermaid or merman, could—but he always felt such a strong force pulling him toward the sea whenever the moon was full.

"Ready to go, Artie?" Alfred asked, kissing his lover's neck teasingly. He knew Arthur was barely paying attention to him; hell, he could've been _stripping_ Arthur and the merman would barely know it.

Arthur nodded absently, grasping Alfred's hand as he moved them toward the front door. "To the sea, my love," he whispered in a somewhat haunting voice; a voice that sent shiver's up the human's spine…but in a good way.

It always surprised Alfred how slowly Arthur would move to the sea whenever the full moon was out. He supposed it had to do with the fact that Arthur seemed to be entranced by the moon, staring up at it with wide, slightly worshipping green eyes and a somewhat agape mouth. (In a funny way, he kind of reminded Alfred of a zombie.)

When they arrived at the beach, Arthur pace suddenly changed. He ripped off his clothes, throwing them behind the rocks, and ran toward the sea, splashing down under the surface before Alfred could even remove his glasses.

Arthur was floating beneath the surface, his body having already changed. He hadn't forgotten about Alfred, he just wanted to savor the moment of being in the night-cooled sea and the silvered waves. After let out a relieved sigh through his gills, he swam to the surface, where he found Alfred, already naked and wading stomach-deep into the water, giving him an expectant look. He smiled at his ocean-eyed lover and swam over, wrapping his arms around Alfred and pulling him under completely. He wrapped his tail around him, pressing as close to him as he could, before he leaned over and kissed Alfred, sharing himself—body and soul—with his lover.

Alfred's body glowed as Arthur released him and swam back a little; his legs became a beautiful, smooth fishtail with scales as blue as his eyes, and gills sprouted from the soft skin of his neck. His teeth became a little sharper than usual, and his vision no longer blurred. He could see Arthur as he was meant to be seen, and see himself as a supposed trick of the light.

_I love you, Alfred, _Arthur thought, kissing his love once more.

_I love you too, Arthur, _Alfred thought back as the green-tailed merman pulled away and began to swim to the tide pools. Alfred smiled and followed, glad that not only were these waters so clear and blue, but that the moon was so bright above the surface.

Calder, Aiden, Braeden, and William were already waiting at the tide pools, their faces impatient as they played fin-back with a large, empty hermit crab shell. (Fin-back was pretty much like the merfolk version of kick-back, you just use your tail.)

"Where's our stupid wee brother and his human boyfriend?" Calder growled under his breath, running a hand through his soaked, fire-orange hair. His green eyes darted about, and he hissed when he didn't see anyone surfacing or swimming just below the surface.

"I don' know, but he better get here soon," Aiden muttered, shaking the water out of his night-black hair. "I'm startin' ta get cold."

"That human's probably delayin' 'im," said Braeden as he fiddled with a starfish.

"Will you three be quiet?" William demanded, his light blue eyes on the surface. "He could be here any minute, and I don't want you guys to make fun of him anymore."

The other three Kirkland boys rolled their eyes and continued their game of fin-back. "Whatever," they chorused.

Calder's hair was still short, spiky, and the color of fire, despite being constantly soaked in water. His body was still muscular, his skin still fine and pale, and his eyes were just as emerald-green as his youngest brother's were. His tail was made of fine, blue-green scales, but now he had a rope of seaweed around his waist and a silver armlet on his right bicep.

Aiden, on the other hand, was the only one of the Kirkland boys who had inherited their father's dark black hair. His skin was fair as well, and his body was muscular too, though not as much as Calder's. He had pale green eyes—peridot-green eyes, really—and an ice-blue tail that had a seaweed chain with shells adoring it wrapped around it.

Braeden had orange hair like Calder, only his was a paler orange. He had a light pattern of freckles dancing across his sun-kissed cheeks and nose, and his skin was a bit tanner than his brothers', considering all the time he and his mate spent sunning themselves on rocks. His eyes were wide and a deep blue, unlike his tail, which was a vibrant green, like Arthur's. Also like Arthur's tail, his own tail didn't have any sort of decoration on it.

William, the second to youngest Kirkland brother, was pale and slender, with his mother's color of soft, golden brown hair. He had pale blue eyes that seemed kind and intelligent, and his tail was silver, like their father's had been. It was this that made him capture the heart of his own mate, as it was rare for merfolk to have silver, white, bronze, gold, or black tails.

"Here they come!" William pointed to two swift shadows swimming their way towards them, below the surface. He and his brothers knew it was Arthur and Alfred, because if it was a predator, they would've sensed it long ago.

A moment later, Alfred and Arthur's heads popped up from below the waves and they smiled at them.

"This is Arthur's mate?" Aiden whispered to his twin, Braeden, as William introduced himself to Alfred.

Braeden shrugged, watching Calder's nose crinkle up slightly. "I guess so, but Calder over there doesn't seem ta like him."

The two were just about to continue their conversation when they heard William say, "And these are the twins, Aiden and Braeden."

Aiden and Braeden put on their best smiles, but they faded when they saw Alfred laughing. "Somethin' _funny_?" they demanded together, glaring.

"Sorry, dudes, it's just so classic that your names rhyme!" Alfred smiled at them, trying to lighten the mood again.

The twins looked at each other, at Alfred, and then at the happy look on Arthur's face. "Whatever," they said together, trying to sound indifferent.

**Later…**

"So, how exactly are you going to give birth?" William asked as he ran a hand over his younger brother's stomach. "I mean, I'm happy for you and all, but how will you actually _have_ the baby?"

"Well, Alfred said that hospitals have these things called C-sections, where they cut open your stomach and take the baby out of you, and then sew you back up." Arthur didn't look particularly happy with that option, but it was better than anything else he could come up with.

"You're actually gonna go ta a 'hospital' when the time comes?" Aiden demanded, playing with Arthur's peeking-out bellybutton.

"Well, no," Arthur began, shaking his head. "Alfred has a friend who's a doctor; he's Feliciano Vargas' mate, and he said he'll happily help me through the birthing when the time comes."

"Ya know," Braeden began as he carefully studied Arthur's stomach, "I think yer a bit bigger than ya really should be. Ya sure there's only one in there?"

Arthur shrugged. "I'm not sure. Ludwig said he wants to wait just a month or two more before he tries to give me an ultrasound."

"A what?" William asked, voicing the others' thoughts as well.

"It's where I lie down on this table, and Ludwig put this goo on my stomach. Then he puts this camera-like thing over my stomach, and it let's Alfred and I see what the baby looks like as it grows in me."

"That sounds gross," Calder muttered, rubbing a circle over Arthur's growing stretch marks.

Alfred shrugged this time, smiling at his lover. "Maybe. But at least we'll get to see them, and that's what matters, right?"

Arthur smiled back, remembering Evangeline's words from earlier. "Yes, Alfred, it is. It's all that matters."

**A/N: FUN FACT TIME!:**

**In Greek mythology, there was believed to be more than one Goddess of the Moon, but Artemis and Selene were the ones most mentioned and worshipped, even though Artemis was more the Goddess of the Hunt, Children, and Virgins.**

**Another fun fact, you could only be a priestess or a priest for a goddess or god if you were a virgin. If you wanted to get married, you had to remove your vows of chastity and quit being a priest or priestess. If you lost your virginity before marriage, you weren't even given the rights to remove your vows and leave on your own. You were thrown out and told to worship at another temple.**

**Anyway, I'm back from my vacation! It was like a hundred and three where I went, and I'm glad to have my dearest fog and cool air back, though my mom hates it. But she loves this town, so…**

**I don't have a lot to say, but I will be adding either a fun fact, or sometimes a little role play question every now and then to the author's note, just to make things fun.**

**So bye! Love you guys! Bye!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Chapter 10

A week had passed since Arthur's brothers had visited, and Arthur was still shocked that Evangeline hadn't told her husband about him and Francis yet. They were settled in at their nice little hotel in town now, in one of the best suites it had to offer, but she still hadn't breathed a word. When Arthur asked her why, she said it was because she'd forgotten to tell him, what with all the advice and help she'd been giving Arthur.

And now, Arthur and Alfred found themselves standing on Matthew's porch at nine in the morning, having just finished knocking.

"Hey, guys," Matthew said as he let them in, "hold on, I'll get Francis." The Canadian boy closed the door behind them and disappeared up the stairs to get his lover.

"So, how do you wanna tell Francis?" Alfred asked in a whisper as he heard his brother's footsteps from upstairs get farther away.

Arthur shrugged. He wasn't the best at planning things, really. All he knew was that Francis needed to know that Evangeline was in on their secret now, that she had no problem with it, and that she understood them.

"_Bonjour, mes amis!" _Francis said with a smile as he came down the stairs, his golden hair pulled back with a royal-blue ribbon and his body covered in matching, oversized satin pajamas he'd made himself. Before anyone could stop him, he quickly kissed both Alfred and Arthur on their cheeks before pulling back. "What brings you here this fine morning?"

Alfred and Arthur stared at Francis in confusion. Yes, they were used to Francis being all touchy-feely and lovey-dovey, but never this early in the morning; or at least not until after he's had his latte.

"Well…" Alfred glanced uncertainly at Arthur before blurting out in one breath, "Mom knows you and Arthur are pregnant!"

Arthur clung to Alfred, burying his face in the American's chest, not wanting to see how Francis would react. Alfred covered his ears so he wouldn't have to hear the screaming. Matthew dove behind the couch as protection.

Nothing happened.

_What…?, _Arthur thought as he glanced up, confused.

Francis was still standing there, smiling like nothing had happened, only with a blanker, far away look in his eyes. It was like he was the most realistic wax model in the world.

"Fra—"

"_Putain idiots! Comment pourriez-vous laisser cela se produire?! Je vais vous tuer tous les deux aussi lentement que je peux!" _Francis began screaming angrily in his own language, his face as red as blood. "You _told_ her?! Are you really this _stupid_?! Get over here! I'm going to—"

"Francis, she figured it out on her own!" Matthew cried fearfully from behind the couch, his head poking up. "No one told her!"

Francis' face lost some of its redness, but not all of it. He glanced back and forth warily between his lover and the other two. "So I can assume that she also knows that Arthur and I aren't entirely human?"

Matthew, Arthur, and Alfred all slowly nodded, waiting to see what would happen this time.

Francis sighed as his face's redness turned to pinkness, his body relaxing, but only slightly. "I'm going to be in the tub, if anyone needs me," he grumbled, marching toward the bathroom.

"Well," Arthur said after a long, somewhat awkward pause, "The frog took it rather well, right?"

Matthew looked as if he may faint.

**Meanwhile…**

"Ludwig, we need to ask you something," Elizabeta said as the exhausted doctor came home, loosening his tie from his neck.

"What?" Ludwig groaned under his breath, removing his reading glasses and ruffling his hair up to relax. It had been a particularly long day at work, and all he wanted to do was have a few bottles of beer with Gilbert, take a relaxing shower, and take a nap with Feliciano—something that the merman was undoubtedly doing at this very moment.

"We wanted to know if you knew any wedding planners," Gilbert explained from the couch, his red eyes scanning—and _only_ scanning!—the bridal magazines on the coffee table before him.

Ludwig rubbed his temples, trying in vain to soothe the thundering headache his mind was enduring at the moment. "Yeah…I know a few. But can we talk about this later? I have a splitting headache at the moment."

The Hungarian and the albino nodded, watching the tired German trudge up the stairs and into his room.

"Thank Poseidon we don't have to get jobs, right?" Gilbert chuckled from his seat on the couch, but the chuckle fell away when he noticed the concerned look on his fiancée's face. "What is it?"

"Well…maybe we should get jobs," Elizabeta said, looking away a little nervously. "I mean, how are we going to support ourselves, and a future family, here on land if we have no jobs?"

"Whoa!" Gilbert stood up, face astounded. "What the hell do you mean, 'here on land'? We're not staying forever!"

"Why not?" Elizabeta's tone was a mix of whiny and angry. "I like it up here!"

"Yes, but you've got family back home, and I've got my mother, who has no one around but you and me!" Gilbert raised a curious silver eyebrow. "What about them?"

"They could come here and live on land too!"

"Elizabeta, we can't stay!"

"Why not?! Arthur, Francis, and Feliciano stayed, despite the fact that they've all got family at home!" Elizabeta glared and put her hands on her hips. "Explain that!"

"One, Arthur's mother is surrounded by her other sons, their mates, and her grandchildren, so she doesn't need Arthur to constantly be around her like mine does; two, Francis' parents are dead and his brother's too busy raising a guppy back home to care about anything else right now; and three, Feliciano's only family member back home—that's still _alive_—is currently, and reluctantly, being worshipped by a Spanish merman in the Mediterranean Sea. Plus, _their_ mates are human; you're a mermaid, and I'm a merman." Gilbert crossed his arms and waited impatiently for his fiancée to respond.

"What about Ludwig?" Elizabeta asked softly, her gaze hard. She was well aware that, even though they hadn't known each other for very long, the Beilschmidt brothers were already close and cared deeply for each other.

Gilbert tensed up, hating Elizabeta at the moment; she knew his current weakness. "He'll survive," he said calmly. "After all, not only has he got Feliciano and the coming kid to worry about, but he's _my_ awesome little brother. If he's really a Beilschmidt, then he'll be fine."

Elizabeta turned away, her cheeks red with anger. Without another word, she stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind her.

**Meanwhile…**

"Geline, I wish you'd never put that thought of Arthur and Francis being sick in my head," Victor muttered from the large, queen-sized bed he and his wife were sharing at their hotel.

"Why's that, sweetie?" Evangeline wasn't even listening as she pulled her platinum-blonde hair up into a tousled bun. She was too busy thinking about how much fun she could have with the baby once it was born. Dressing it up in adorable booties, or tickling its fin… Oh, it'd be so much fun!

"I'm getting worried," Victor said as he walked out onto the balcony, leaning gently against the wrought iron railing. The restored Victorian manor was large, comfy, and had a beautiful view of the beach. The warm, lightly sea-scented air flew into the hotel room, threatening to blow out the complimentary vanilla candles Evangeline had just lit. "What if they are sick?"

Evangeline froze as she finished pinning the last piece of hair into place. Her blue eyes widened as she glanced at the reflection of her husband's back in the mirror she was looking into. "Believe me, Victor," she said slowly, rising from her vanity table's cushioned white chair, "they're not sick."

"Are you sure?" Victor glanced warily at his approaching wife.

"Yes." Evangeline nodded and sighed, realizing that now was probably the best chance she had at telling her husband what was really going on; she prayed that he'd understand. "Victor, could you some inside for a moment? I have something very important to tell you."

Victor nodded and followed his wife inside, closing the balcony doors behind him. "What's wrong?"

"Well, Victor..." Evangeline wished she hadn't put her hair up; whenever she was nervous, she'd take a lock of it and twirl it around her finger. "Arthur and Francis aren't…normal, exactly."

"By 'normal', you mean…?"

"Not…entirely…_human_."

"…What?" Victor looked at his wife as if she'd sprouted two extra heads.

"They're…well…mermen…with gills and fishtails and everything." Evangeline took a deep breath, looking at her husband as honestly as she could.

"Geline, if this is some kind of stupid prank set up by Alfred, it's not funny."

"Vic, have I _ever_ lied to you? Honestly, have I lied to you _once_ in this marriage, or even when we were still dating?" Evangeline raised an eyebrow and waited.

Victor stared down at his wife, realization dawning on him. It was true that Evangeline had never lied to him. Ever. And she wasn't now. "So, that's it?" He laughed nervously, rolling his eyes. "Our sons are harboring fat mermen in their houses until their girlfriends come back? That's all?"

"Also, Arthur and Francis _are_ the girlfriends…minus the 'girl' part. _They're_ the ones that are pregnant with our grandchildren. There's never been any girls." Evangeline clasped her hands together and rubbed them anxiously, biting her lip as she waited for her husband's reaction.

Victor shuddered visibly at the thought, but he knew it was true from the look in his wife's eyes. "So…you mean to tell me that our sons have gone and _knocked_ _up_ some freaks of _fucking_ _nature_? And that _our_ _grandchildren_ will be freaks of nature?" Victor was so angry his voice was smooth, calm, and cold, like ice on steel.

"They will not be!" Evangeline snapped in exasperation. "They will be our grandchildren and we will love them no matter what!"

"Speak for yourself," Victor growled back, his eyes dark. "I mean, I'd be fine with them just being in gay relationships and adopting, but this…this just isn't right, Geline! Merman aren't supposed to be _real_, and now our _idiot_ _sons_ have gone and knocked up a pair! And we're supposed to just _accept_ that our grandkids will be _half_ _fucking_ _fish_?! I don't think so!"

"Well, I do, you closed-minded, selfish jackass!" Evangeline grabbed her purse and stormed toward the door. As she opened it, she turned back and snapped, "Think about how happy they are before you decide to ruin it!" With that, she left, the door making a loud _slam! _behind her.

**Later…**

"Dad's going to murder us!" Alfred sobbed, holding onto a terrified and paralyzed Arthur, who was in so much shock he could only stare into space. Beside them sat Matthew and Francis, who were both sobbing as they held onto to each other.

"Just relax, boys," Evangeline said softly, brushing the hair from Alfred's face, then Matthew's. "I'm sure your father's not so heartless that he'd call somebody to come take Arthur and Francis away…at least, I hope not."

"Mom, we have to hide them!" Matthew gasped as he tried to finger-comb Francis' hair to calm him down. "If we don't, who knows what Dad will do to them! You know he has that scientist friend back home!"

Evangeline sighed and shook her head. "Look…if I try to talk to your father now, things will just get worse. It's better if he makes a decision on his own; if he makes the wrong one, then you all have to go into the sea until the coast—literally—is clear. Even Matthew and Alfred."

"And you, Miss Evangeline?" Francis enquired, rubbing his tear-raining eyes.

"I'll stay here and testify against my husband, saying he's gone insane and that he's kidnapped you boys and are keeping you hostage somewhere." Evangeline's tone became quieter as she said her next words. "I love my husband, honestly, but you boys could be in serious danger because of him."

**Meanwhile…**

Ludwig slowly opened his rested, icy eyes, and found himself staring down at his ginger-brunette lover, who was still sleeping peacefully, curled up against him. He smiled and gently ran his hands through the Italian's hair, causing him to squirm a little in his sleep. Oh, how he loved Feliciano; now, if only he could admit that to him as openly and freely as Arthur and Alfred could admit it to one another. But that just wasn't who he was.

He sighed and stepped out of bed, pulling on some sweats and heading downstairs for some coffee, despite the fact that it was four in the afternoon. As he walked downstairs, he heard some kind of angry muttering coming from the kitchen. The house was under major lock down, and he knew it was Gilbert from the occasional muttering of the word "awesome", so he didn't bother grabbing any kind of weapon. Instead, he strolled into the chrome-and-marble kitchen and grabbed the bag of espresso beans from the counter.

"Are you all right?" he asked his brother as the brewing coffee bubbled in its pot.

"Elizabeta's mad at me," Gilbert muttered, glancing back and forth between the Poppa's Hot Wings take-out menu and the Round Table take-out menu.

"Why?" Ludwig fetched the hazelnut creamer from the fridge and stirred it into the cup of nice hot coffee as he spoke.

"She wants to stay here on land forever, and raise our children here," Gilbert explained, surveying the sauce choices on the hot wings menu.

"She's pregnant?"

"No, but she wants kids; that's obvious. But we can't stay here forever like she wants; there's just too much for me to do back home. I just wanted to come up on land to see you, propose to her, get married, have the honeymoon, and then go back home. I can't believe she wants to stay here after all that!" Gilbert looked up quickly, realizing that he may've just insulted his younger brother unintentionally. "Not that there's anything wrong with you, Lud, or anything else up here, it's just that we've both got things to do back home; things that can't really be ignored."

Ludwig nodded as he sipped his coffee. "I understand, _bruder_," he agreed knowingly. "But why don't you try to make her see things your way, and then you can try to see things her way, okay? You might get somewhere with that."

Gilbert grumbled something unintelligible under his breath as he dialed the number for Poppa's Hot Wings, stubbornly ignoring the chuckling Ludwig in the corner.

**A/N: FUN QUESTION TIME!**

**If you could create an original Hetalia country, which continent would it be on and what would it be called? I made one, and she's in Europe, and her name is Bellator.**

**I apologize if you found that question to be useless, but I just like seeing peoples' answers whenever I ask them random questions. Anyway, it's time to go back to school, but not for about another week. I'll probably have this finished and starting on the third story by mid-September or the end of September.**

**Also, I'm on some kind of _Pirates of the Caribbean _kick, so that's not exactly helping me get images of England as a merman out of my head, but then again, neither is writing this story.**

**Bye! Love you guys!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, my friends.**

Chapter 11

After she made the boys some dinner and tea to calm them down, Evangeline returned to her hotel, determined to make her moronic husband listen to reason. As she stood right in front of the door, she took a deep breath, calming herself, before sticking the key in the lock and turning it.

"Finally, you're back," Victor said in a relieved tone as Evangeline stepped inside. "I thought those freaks had done something with you. I was about ready to call the cops."

"They're not freaks, Victor," Evangeline protested as calmly as she could, not meeting his eyes as she hung up her coat. "Alfred and Matthew are our sons, and Arthur and Francis are part of our family now, as are the unborn children they're carrying."

"They're freaks of nature, Evangeline," Victor said in an equally cold and calm voice from his place on the bed. "Plain and simple. Now pack up your stuff, we're leaving in the morning."

The sound of shattering glass echoed through the room as Evangeline turned to stare at her husband in a mixture of horror and shock. She stood in front of the water cooler in the corner, with one of the complimentary glass cups in shiny wet shards at her feet. "What?" she breathed, so astounded she couldn't go above a whisper. "Why?"

"Because I refuse to be on this island anymore, now that I know the truth." Victor stood up and grabbed his two bags, which were already stuffed with clothes and souvenirs. "I'll call the lobby and the airport while you pack." Victor moved to pick up his phone on the coffee table, but Evangeline grabbed it first.

"I'm not leaving, Victor," she hissed as she shoved the cell phone down her bra. Victor hated it when she put stuff in there, even if she didn't have any pockets or a purse to store it in to begin with. "I'm staying here with the boys."

"Evangeline, what they've done _isn't_ _normal_!" Victor growled as he lost his composure completely. "You've got to be able to see that!"

"They've done nothing wrong! All they've done is fall in love and start families! Isn't that what we've always wanted for them?"

"Yes, but with _human_ _beings_! Not mermen…or any other mythical creature for that matter…" Victor crossed his arms and glared at his wife. "Now give me the phone, Geline, you're being ridiculous."

"Victor, if anyone's being ridiculous here, it's you." But, regardless of her words, Evangeline pulled her husband's phone from her bra and put it in his hands. "But I'm staying here, and there's nothing you can do about that. So _you_ can check out, and _you_ can get on a plane and go back to California, but I'm staying here with my boys." She turned away and sat down on the couch, scrolling through the TV guide in the newspaper. "But at least call them and tell them you're leaving. I think they deserve that much."

Victor looked at his phone and then at his wife. "I guess you're right." With that, he dialed Alfred's number, knowing that all four of them were there. "Alfred, it's your father. Listen to me, son, no interruptions. I'm leaving tomorrow morning, but your mother is staying here." There was a quiet moment before Victor's face fell…only by the very slightest. "No, Alfred, I'm sorry, but I can't. It just doesn't seem right to me, that's why! I would be fine with it if Arthur and Francis were human and you guys were adopting, but I just can't be fine with _this_." Another pause, which was followed by Victor's own pause. "Well… No, Alfred, I swear I won't tell anyone. But I just can't accept this. I'm sorry, son, I really am." One last pause before, "Advice? You want advice about how to deal with babies? Ask your mother, Al! Only thing I can tell you is that you probably shouldn't take them to water park or the local pool… Oh, and don't drop the baby either, 'kay? Goodbye." Victor sighed as he hung up, shaking his head. "Idiot boys…"

**Meanwhile…**

Alfred stared down at the phone in his hand, his face blank. Behind him stood the equally uneasy Arthur and Matthew; Francis was asleep on the couch, trying to "dream away such horrible events".

"Well?" Matthew asked anxiously as his brother put the phone on the counter. "What did Dad say?"

"He's leaving, Matt," Alfred said quietly, disbelief coloring his personality at the moment. "He said he's going back to Cali because he can't accept what we've got with Arthur and Francis. Mom's staying here, though, to help us and keep an eye on us."

"Will he tell anyone?" Arthur asked just as anxiously, feeling a small pull from somewhere inside his body; as he felt it, his arms unconsciously wrapped themselves around his swollen belly both protectively and comfortingly.

"He said he won't, but it pretty much sounds like he might even divorce Mom just to get away from all this." Alfred looked down sadly and muttered, "He really doesn't want anything to do with us now…"

Arthur felt his heart ache as he stepped back and watched the brothers embrace each other. He faintly heard Matthew say into Alfred's shoulder, "It's not the first time something like this has happened…"

That definitely caught Arthur's attention.

"What do you mean?" he asked curiously. "Has someone in your family been with someone like me before?"

Alfred and Matthew shook their heads as they wiped their eyes. "No," Matthew said softly, patting his brother's shoulder. "But this wouldn't be the first time peoples' relationships have torn families apart. In fact, it's kind of common in the human world." He sighed, as if to say "but nothing can be done about it". "It's sad, really…"

"I can't believe Dad hates us now!" Alfred was obviously taking this harder than Matthew was, since he'd always been Victor's favorite when they were younger, while Matthew had been Evangeline's.

"Alfred—" Arthur reached out to hug his lover, but Alfred fled the room before he could.

"Will he be alright?" Arthur asked as he heard the door to his and Alfred's bedroom slam shut.

Matthew shrugged as he glanced at the clock. It was seven-thirty and the sun was starting to go down; the sky was painted a light blue and a muted gold by the escaping star. "It's hard to tell; he and Dad were always close when we were little…"

**Meanwhile…**

"Gilbert, where are we going?" Elizabeta asked impatiently, her arms crossed over her chest and a red blindfold over her green eyes. She could feel the cool, yet warm air on her skin, and hear the faint sounds of gulls and the waves in the background—both of which seemed to be getting louder—but those were common things on the comfy, warm little island, so she wasn't suspicious of them.

Gilbert didn't respond, a smirk on his face as he guided Elizabeta slowly toward the sea. He'd decided to take his little half-brother's advice and make Elizabeta see things his way before he tried to see things her way…he just hadn't told her that.

"Gilbert, where are we— Ah!" Elizabeta's blindfold was ripped from her eyes and she was thrown in the ocean before she could do anything else. She wasn't even under the water for ten seconds before her body began to change. Panicking, she pulled off her pants and underwear so her tail wouldn't get uncomfortably shoved into one hole. She pulled off her sweater, too, and reached for her white bra, only to find that it had changed into two large white seashells held together by green seaweed. Her green tail had appeared as well, her gills had formed in her neck, and pearls had emerged in her hair. Strangely though, her engagement ring remained safely on her ring finger…

_Gilbert Beilschmidt!,_ she screamed in her head as the black-tailed, silver-haired, red-eyed, smirking merman appeared in front of her. _You put me back on land this instant, or I will hit you with a rock!_

_Elizabeta, just listen to me!, _Gilbert pleaded, no longer smirking, but his face serious now. _Okay? For a minute?_

Elizabeta studied her infuriating fiancé for a moment before sighing, which released air bubbles into the water. _Fine,_ she thought with a shake of the head, exasperated. _But only a minute, and then we're going back to the surface!_

Gilbert smiled and took Elizabeta's hand, swimming away with her.

**Later…**

_See, Elizabeta? This is our home! We're meant to be here at some point in our lives! If we were meant to be on land forever, we would've been born as humans, like Ludwig or Alfred. I'll admit, there are things on land that I love, but the sea is part of who we are, just like land is part of who humans are. We need it!_

Elizabeta glanced around, looking at the soft white sand, the gentle plants, the pretty coral… Gilbert was right. This was part of them, it was what they'd known most of their lives. Why would she ever want to give something like this up? Well, she didn't…at least not permanently.

_You have a point, _she agreed after a moment of thinking quietly to herself, _but I still want to spend some of my time on land. I like it up there, and I want to be here when Feliciano has his baby._

Gilbert nodded, trying to think up a quick compromise. After a second, he smirked and took Elizabeta's hand. _How about we spend five months on land and seven months in the sea each year? Does that sound as awesome as me?_

Elizabeta smiled and hugged Gilbert, kissing his cheek. _I love that idea! _

**Meanwhile…**

Arthur waved goodbye as Matthew and Francis left, taking a deep breath. Alfred was asleep upstairs, having finally calmed down. Of course, if Arthur had anything to say about, his lover wouldn't be sleeping for much longer.

_You can do this_, he told himself as he slipped quietly upstairs, into their bedroom, past his sleeping lover, and into the walk-in closet. He reached for a medium-sized black box that he'd hidden in the back of the closet, specifically for a time like this.

_I hope Alfred likes this, _he thought as he walked downstairs, his cheeks pink. He dimmed the lights in the living room and set up candles all around it, keeping them away from anything too flammable. He'd already gotten help from Matthew and Francis to move the couch out to the garage—which, of course, Alfred would have to move back in tomorrow, but still—and replace it with a nice, large mattress in the middle of the room. Then he stripped down and wrapped himself in a long, black satin robe that was patterned with blue and white orchids and trimmed with blue satin. The pretty colors of the orchids and the deep black of the background brought great attention to his shimmering emerald eyes, soft golden hair, and milky pale skin, which was faintly glowing, not just from the pregnancy but from excitement, and the way the robe was tied loosely drew the eyes slowly from his lovely face to his softly rounded body, which Alfred had grown to love dearly. He spread the silk bedspread—made of blue, black, white, and green colors—on the large, plush mattress before tossing on some equally soft, blue satin pillows.

_Here goes nothing,_ he thought as he walked slowly upstairs and opened the door to their bedroom. He walked over to the bed and straddled Alfred, who slept peacefully. Alfred was so cute when he slept; his golden hair was tossed this way and that, his shell-pink lips parted slightly, looking absolutely kissable, and his strong, yet soft chest rose slowly with each gentle breath he took. Arthur loved it.

"Wake up, my love," he cooed as he leaned down, his lips brushing the shell of Alfred's ear as his finger gently traced his jaw. "Wake up… I've got a surprise for you…"

Alfred stirred for a moment before slowly opening his eyes, which widened and shone at the sight of Arthur above him. He rubbed his eyes, not only to get the sleep out so he could see better, but to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

"Good, you're up." Arthur smiled and began to place tiny, teasing kisses along Alfred's neck, which caused the sandy-blonde to smile lazily and run his fingers through Arthur's soft, coconut-scented hair.

"Of course I am," he whispered as he stroked Arthur's back through the thin satin robe. "I wouldn't miss one of your awesome surprises for anything."

Arthur smirked and leaned back, stepping off of the bed and coaxing Alfred forward with his fingers. "Well, the actual surprise is downstairs, but"—Arthur's held out his arms, a gesture that Alfred knew mean that Arthur wanted to be picked up or carried—"you have to take me down there in your arms."

Alfred smirked and lifted the merman into his arms, his fingers playing with the blue satin sash. Before he could get the thing completely undone, though, Arthur batted his hands away playfully and wordlessly pointed to the door. Alfred rolled his eyes, but took the hint and carried Arthur down to the living room. As they reached the top of the stairs, his eyes widened and he froze, not noticing the satisfied smirk on Arthur's face.

The room was not only littered with white, coconut-scented candles, but also vases filled with blooming white orchids, and a single vase next to the mattress Arthur had set up in the center of it all held blue orchids in it. The light from the candles cast long, pretty shadows for the flowers against the wall, and the tropical coconut scent mixed with the sweet scent from the orchids reminded him of his brother's Herbal Essences shampoo.

"What's all this for?" Alfred asked as he carried Arthur down the stairs and set him gently on the frameless bed. "It's nobody's birthday, nor is it our anniversary, so—" Alfred was cut off by Arthur slipping a hand under his shirt and running it slowly up and over the flat planes of his chest.

"I just figured that, with everything that's been happening, you'd need some kind of stress relief, love," Arthur murmured, kissing Alfred's soft lips chastely. "And besides, I went through all this trouble, so you'd better bloody appreciate it."

Alfred laughed quietly and wrapped his arms around Arthur, pulling them down and backwards so that the merman was straddling his waist again. Arthur smiled and reached for the sash, undoing it and slowly letting the satin robe slip from his body, which Alfred's hands were immediately upon afterwards. Arthur's body was still slender in some places, but other places—apart from his stomach—had begun to become just a little tubby, and his nipples were becoming tender as well, darkening in the slightest.

"I love you," Alfred whispered as he leaned in and kissed Arthur softly, his hands rubbing Arthur's swollen middle.

Arthur smiled against the kiss and slid his tongue teasingly against the American's lips before rearing back to remove the shirt covering Alfred's beautiful body. "I love you more," he purred back, rubbing Alfred lightly through his sweatpants as he gently sucked a hickey onto his shoulder.

Alfred gasped as Arthur's rubbing sped up, and he pulled Arthur's mouth away from his shoulder so he could kiss him, slipping his tongue into the warm, moist cavern and coaxing Arthur's own tongue to dance with his. While he was a little miffed with not being able to press firmly against Arthur because of the bump—which wasn't even that big, really—he still loved the feeling of pressing Arthur's soft, bare skin against his own. It reminded him that Arthur was here with him, that he was starting a family with him, and that he loved him very much.

Arthur pulled away from the kiss as he felt Alfred become fully hard in his sweatpants, and he studied his lover carefully. Alfred was panting a bit, his cheeks were pink, and his sea-blue eyes were beginning to glaze over and shine with desire. Oh yes, he had him right where he wanted him. Arthur backed up so that he was no longer sitting in Alfred's lap, but kneeling between his legs. He grasped the hem of his lover's sweatpants and tugged them down, throwing them to the foot of the mattress. Alfred's erection sprang forward, already red with lust, and Arthur smirked and shot Alfred a smoldering look with his forest-colored eyes before he leaned down and gave the tip a teasing little lick.

Alfred's eyes widened a bit and he let out a little squeak in surprise, but his squeaks quickly turned into soft moans and gasp as Arthur took the head into his mouth and suckled it gently, toying with Alfred's nipples as he did, knowing they were as sensitive as his own were right now. Alfred tangled his fingers into Arthur's hair with one hand, and with the other he gripped the black silk sheets below them, soft pants escaping his mouth, along with Arthur's name.

Arthur slowly took a few more inches into his mouth, his eyes never leaving Alfred's as he swirled his tongue around the head and hummed in the back of his throat. He loved how something like this could reduce his lover to a whimpering little mess; it made Arthur feel strong, like he had so much power over him. He sucked harder, one of his hands leaving Alfred's nipples to wrap his hand around the inches his mouth hadn't gotten to yet. He didn't even gag when Alfred gasped and bucked his hips up, pushing more into the Brit's mouth; instead, he bobbed his head a few times before pulling his mouth back until it was just the tip in his mouth. Then he started to suck Alfred like he was a milkshake's straw, making Alfred moan out his name loudly, and tug lightly on his hair.

"A-Arthur, quit teasing m-me!" Alfred groaned as Arthur gave one of his nipples a particularly hard tweak. "Please!"

Arthur gave one last hard suck before pulling off with a pop and smirking up at him. "Very well then, love," he purred, rising up so he was sitting in Alfred's lap again. "I'll give you what you want." Arthur took Alfred hand and guided it back to his entrance, where Alfred found that Arthur had already prepared himself, but with only one or two fingers.

Alfred smirked himself as he leaned over and started to suck on one of Arthur's sensitive buds, two of his fingers pushing themselves into the already-lubed entrance. He pushed them all the way in before moving them a few times, searching for Arthur's sweet bundle. He curled his fingers upward, smiling when he heard Arthur cry out, "Oh, yes!"

"Guess what I found," he teased childishly in Arthur's ear, slipping the third finger in to help the other two torture his lover.

"Sh-Shut up, wanker!" Arthur gasped, rocking back onto Alfred's fingers, his eyes closed as his cheeks turned red and his manhood bobbed against his stomach. He gripped Alfred's shoulders tightly, feeling the American's long, slender fingers constantly tease and poke his prostate. He loved teasing Alfred, but he himself hated to be teased. But what goes around comes around…

Alfred chuckled quietly as he watched Arthur desperately ride his fingers before he pulled them out and positioned himself at the merman's entrance. He hadn't even had time to really line himself up before Arthur was sinking down on him and kissing him, his fingers in Alfred's hair as he adjusted to the size of his lover's length.

Alfred and Arthur moaned into each other's mouths, just sitting there for a moment as they stared at each other. Arthur took Alfred's hand and placed it against his chest, letting the human feel his racing heart.

"This is for you," he breathed as he rose himself slowly before slamming back down and making the American moan a little. "Only for you."

Alfred only had time to nod before Arthur was riding him like he'd been doing it his whole life. He honestly didn't know how the merman had gotten so great in bed when he'd only been human a few months, but it didn't really matter to him. He moved with Artie, thrusting up into his warm, inviting tightness, kissing and nipping his neck as he did. Arthur's own lips were busy sucking on the fingers from the hand Arthur had placed on his heart, and when he suckled the index finger particularly harshly, Alfred gave a firm buck below him, nailing his prostate dead-on. Arthur cried out as pleasure ran through his body, making his member throb and his heart race. His face was as red as a berry by now and his voice was close to just keening from the all the pleasure Alfred was giving him. He honestly didn't know how much longer he could last, and from how fast Alfred was moving, he could tell it was the same for him.

"Arthur…" The merman's name became a chant for his human lover as said man pushed them over gently so that Arthur was on his back and Alfred was thrusting into him, his face buried in Arthur's shoulder as he did. Dear God, he was so close…so close…

"Alfred, come with me," Arthur breathed in his ear, thrusting upward so Alfred hit his prostate again. _"Please!"_

Alfred gave one last thrust against Arthur's prostate, hitting it completely as he sank all the way into the merman, feeling Arthur tremble and come as he filled him with his warm seed. Arthur panted below him, letting the aftershocks run through his body as Alfred pulled out and rolled to the side, pulling Arthur gently against him. They stared at the ceiling as they caught their breath, neither of them saying anything. The candles were melted down to halfway through now, filled with pools of wax, but the orchids stayed fragrant and blooming, chasing away the scent of sex.

"And now…?" Alfred questioned, offering his sleepy lover a lazy, satisfied smile.

"We sleep, love," Arthur answered with a yawn, pulling the blankets up around them and curling into Alfred's side. "We sleep…"

**A/N: FUN QUESTION TIME!**

**If your Hetalia character could be married or allied to only ONE other Hetalia character, who would it be, and why? (And just because they're sexy is not an answer!)**

**Anyway, this is going to be the last update before I go back to school on Monday…can't say I'm looking forward to that…but I had a good summer, so I guess I'm okay. I'll probably update sometime after Monday, just to get all the new-school-year stress out.**

**But I just wanted to tell you guys that you're all awesome, and I love you! Bye!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Chapter 12

Arthur Kirkland enjoyed the company of Kiku and Sakura Honda. They were polite, respectful, and kind youths, despite being a bit odd. Kiku was short, with evenly cut, crow-black hair. His skin was pale and smooth, his cheeks baring a light, natural pink tint to them, and his lips were thin and shell-pink. His body was lithe, but Arthur had seen him show an enormous amount of both great strength and great speed before, normally when using his katana sword to quickly and neatly cut cherry blossoms down for Sakura in their backyard. He usually carried a camera, a notepad, and a pencil around in his brown leather shoulder bag, and always had a small smile for Arthur. However, his wide, deep, sometimes empty dark brown eyes were a little disturbing… Like Alfred, he was a student at Salvation University, but he preferred to study more technological things, not marine biology.

Sakura, on the other hand, had a somewhat uneven bob cut of shiny black hair, usually adorned with some kind of flower or pearl hairclip. Her eyes were wide and deep as well, but they had a shyer light to them and were more of an amber color than dark brown. She was shorter than Kiku, which was saying something, since Kiku was only five-foot-five. Her skin was milky, like her brother's, and her lips were pouty and a faint cherry color by nature. She had a petite body and somewhat flat-chested, but what she lacked in a figure, she made up for in her sweet and polite personality. She was a waitress at the International Café, and would be starting at Kiku and Alfred's college next semester, to study floral arrangements and fashion design. (It was also a known, but ignored, fact that she had a small crush on Alfred, as she blushed and looked shyly away whenever he spoke to her, even at the restaurant.)

Today, Kiku wore a black long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans, with his signature brown leather shoulder bag over his body. He nodded politely at Arthur, that small smile gracing his face. At his side stood Sakura, dressed in a knee-length, short-sleeved, oriental red satin dress with gold swirls on it. In her hair was a gold clip adorned with pink-and-red cherry blossoms, and on her feet were gold wedges. She had a small pink purse thrown over her shoulder, and she smiled politely and waved a little at Arthur.

"_Kon'nichiwa, Arthur," _Kiku said as Arthur let them in with a small of his own.

"_Genkidesu ka?" _Sakura asked, fidgeting with a lock of her shiny hair.

Arthur stared at them blankly, slowly blinking. "I… Excuse me?"

"How are you?" Kiku translated understandingly. While he and his sister could speak fluent English and fluent Japanese, they sometimes spoke in only Japanese, by force of habit.

"Oh, I'm fine!" Arthur smiled and patted his stomach gently. "Thanks for asking."

Kiku and Sakura were well-aware of Arthur's species and his predicament. They were also oddly fascinated. So far, Kiku had taken a picture of Arthur every month since they'd discovered the pregnancy, storing it in his 2012—2013 scrapbook, in the section marked "Merman Pregnancy". Since Kiku's scrapbook was so thick, he still had a lot of sections to fill, which he planned to use one the babies, once they arrived.

Sakura was doing her part by offering some advice her mother had given her; while Sakura had never had any kids—Arthur was pretty sure Kiku was way too protective of his sister to even let her kiss a guy—when she'd started getting her period, her mother had told her the basics and some own personal tips on childbirth and motherhood.

"You're here for the picture of the fourth month?" Arthur asked as he walked into the kitchen to make some of the Japanese tea he kept at the house for the Hondas.

"_Hai," _they said together as they politely made themselves at home. Kiku placed his bag on the floor in front of him and dug out his digital camera, along with his notepad and pencil.

"So, has anything new come up since our last visit?" Sakura asked as Arthur brought in their tea.

Arthur thought for a moment. He'd last seen the Japanese siblings about a week ago, a few days after Victor's departure. Nothing new had really happened since then…

"Not that I can think of," he said softly, blowing on his tea. "Although, I have been having a lot of vivid dreams and morning sickness. Does that count?"

Kiku shook his head, his face both determined and crestfallen. "No, sorry."

"Oh, well…" Arthur thought harder, trying to remember even the smallest of details. "I suppose I've been having an even stronger urge to be in water—doesn't matter what kind, whether it be fresh, salt, or bath—lately than I normally would be. How about that?"

Kiku's eyes lit up and he quickly jotted that down on the pad. "You haven't mentioned that before!"

Arthur smiled as he sipped his tea, watching Sakura and Kiku get overexcited about just one fact.

"You're sure there's nothing else?" Kiku asked as he readied his camera.

When Arthur shook his head, Kiku grabbed the end of his shirt and pulled it over his body, positioning him so he could get at the perfect angle to take a picture of Arthur's swelling stomach.

**Meanwhile…**

"What about this one?" The salesgirl at the bridal store held up another flawless white dress, her strange red eyes shimmering with a little irritation. Yes, she liked Elizabeta's taste so far, but the mermaid was driving her over the edge!

The dress she currently held up just barely brushed the floor, and it was made of pure-white tulle, was strapless, had a sweetheart collar, lace appliqués here and there, and side-swags on the skirt. When she turned it so Elizabeta could see the back, the mermaid saw that it had a lace-up back, somewhat like a corset, with white satin ribbons.

"Let me try it on," Elizabeta said as she gently took the dress, like it was made of glass instead of soft tulle.

The salesgirl gave a sigh of relief and walked the Hungarian girl over to the wide fitting rooms, telling her to let her know if she needed anything. Elizabeta had to admit, she was a bit jealous of the pretty young salesgirl, even though she herself couldn't've been any older than her.

The salesgirl had creamy pale skin and long, flowing, shiny black hair that almost touched her waist. Her body was carved into a perfect hourglass-figure and advertized by her tight red business suit and black heels. Elizabeta found her eyes to be strange though, since they were the same deep, blood-red as Gilbert's…

Elizabeta managed to get the dress on—though she had to get the salesgirl's help when it came to lacing up the back—and when she looked at herself in the mirror, her breath caught and her eyes began to fill a little with tears. It was perfect! Perfect!

"I want this one!" she declared, spinning in a circle as she stepped out of the dressing rooms.

"Thank God," the saleswoman mumbled before she went over to the cashier.

**Meanwhile…**

"This ones a little too tight," Gilbert muttered as he surveyed himself in the dressing room mirror of the tuxedo store. "And besides, it doesn't define my awesomeness!"

Outside the dressing room, leaning against the door, was Ludwig, who groaned and rubbed his temples. Yes, they'd left at the same time Elizabeta had left to go shopping for a dress, but still!

"_Bruder_, you said that about the last one, and the one before that! Do you really think Elizabeta's being this picky about her dress?" Ludwig shook his head as he moved away from the door so Gilbert could step out.

The silver-haired merman wore a finely pressed, black, single-breasted suit, a white button-down shirt, and a black silk tie to match. He studied himself in the mirror, turning this way and that, his face displeased the whole time. "I don't like it," he decided, moving to rid himself of the suit as he stepped back into the dressing room. "Bring me the white one I was looking at earlier, okay?"

Ludwig bit back an irritated groan, walking over to the finely pressed, single-breasted white tux hanging from the rack of tuxedos Gil had gathered together, but not tried on. It came with a black tie, a black vest, and a white button-down shirt as well. Ludwig tossed it over the door, listening to fabric flutter around, stretching his arms out so he could grab the black tuxedo as it flew by.

A moment later, Gilbert emerged, looking formal and respectable, a far cry from his normal jeans, sneakers, and band T-shirts. He looked at himself in the mirror, smirking when he noticed how the white of the tux accentuated his crimson eyes and sparkly, slightly sharp teeth. He struck a model-worthy pose, blowing a kiss to his reflection before turning to present himself to his brother.

"Well?" Gilbert turned in a circle and held out his arms so his half-brother had the whole view. "Is my awesomeness showing, or is it showing?"

Ludwig rolled his eyes, but he would admit that his brother looked better in the white one than in the black one. "You look good, Gil," he said as he checked his watch. They'd been out for three hours, and he didn't like leaving Feliciano alone for very long, now that he was pregnant. "Let's get that one and go, okay?"

Gilbert nodded eagerly and told the salesman which one they'd be getting.

**Meanwhile…**

Alfred hurried down the corridor to his marine biology class. He'd been on his way already, but his backpack had exploded out of nowhere, and he'd had to find and pick up each individual piece of work before he could move on. Sometimes he hated college.

"Mr. Jones, you're late," Professor St. Claire said she watched the American walk into her class. "This is your second strike; get a third, and you won't be welcome in my class for a week."

"Sorry, ma'am," Alfred muttered, embarrassed, as he took his seat and grabbed his notebook and text.

"Now, like always, a simple question to get your brains working," St. Claire said as she began writing a question on the board, saying it as she did. "What is the difference between zooplankton and phytoplankton?" She turned away from the question so the class could write it down before answering. "You have ten minutes; begin."

Alfred stared at the question for a moment before taking a deep breath and trying to think back to yesterday, when Arthur had been helping him study. He began to panic a little as he fidgeted in his seat, unfortunately drawing Professor St. Claire's deep blue eyes to him.

Victoria St. Claire was a stern, fair woman in her late-thirties. She had curly black hair that was pulled back in a bun, a few of the curls framing her pale, heart-shaped face. Her eyes were almond-shaped, deep blue, and keen as a hawk's as they watched you from behind her small, rectangle-shaped glasses. And that's what they were doing to Alfred at the moment.

"Mr. Jones, are you all right?" St. Claire asked as she stared at him, a hint of mockery in her professional voice. "Do you need to be excused for a moment?"

"N-No, Professor St. C-Claire," Alfred stuttered, hating the eyes that slowly lifted and locked on him. "I-I'm okay."

The teacher said nothing else as she nodded and looked back at her clipboard. Slowly, the other eyes looked away as well.

Alfred simply stared blankly at his paper as the seconds ticked by on the clock in the back of the room. He didn't have an answer. He dug and dug and dug around in his brain, but he had nothing! What was he supposed to say if St. Claire called on him?!

"Time!" Professor St. Claire said as she walked over to the island counter-like table in front of the students. "Take a second to make sure your answers make sense, and then I will call on one of you at random."

The class began to whisper and mouth among themselves as they studied their answers carefully, some erasing and rewriting things. Alfred could feel his heart and stomach sink into a dark, dark hole. He was all alone at the moment.

The teacher walked over to a glass bowl filled with strips of paper and plucked one from the pile, not even glancing at it as she made her way back to the table. "That's enough!" As the class fell silent, she adjusted her glasses and looked down at the small piece of paper.

_Please not me,_ Alfred prayed silently. _Please not me…!_

"Kitty St. Claire!" The name of the teacher's daughter rang through the classroom and the dark-haired, blue-eyed girl stood.

Kitty glared at her mother before she began reading her answer aloud. "Zooplanktons are animals that consume oxygen in the water, whereas phytoplankton are plants. While they consume oxygen in the water as well, they also take in a lot of C02 during their photosynthesis, so they only live in water that's close to the sun."

The class applauded and Alfred hurried to scribble that down.

**Meanwhile…**

Ludwig and Gilbert decided to pop by the International Café to pick up some to-go dinner. As they strolled in, they bumped into a waitress carrying a plate full of hamburgers.

"Whoops! Sorry 'bout that, boys!" The waitress laughed around her bubblegum as she put the tray down onto the table she'd been walking to and gave everyone their food.

She was young, probably around Sakura's age, with slightly wavy, short blonde hair that fell to her chin. Her eyes were wide and sea-blue, and she wore two red star-shaped barrettes in her hair. She wore a white crop-top, Daisy Duke shorts, and brown leather cowboy boots. Around her waist was a black apron and a black fanny pack.

"What can I get y'all?" she asked as she stood in front of them, notepad and pen at the ready. "Name's Amy, by the way."

"We would like two orders of liverwurst, two Buds, a bottle of your best Italian wine, some fettuccini alfredo, home-style iced-tea, and a bowl of kohlrabi soup," Ludwig ordered from memory.

Amy jotted it all down and trotted away with a giggle, returning fifteen minutes later with their order. "Here ya go! Have a nice day!"

Ludwig grabbed the food, nodded, and left with Gilbert, who was whining about a bird or something.

**A/N: FUN FACT TIME!:**

**1. Vivid dreams are actually part of pregnancy for some women.**

**2. The salesgirl, Professor St. Claire, and Kitty are all characters from an original story I came up with: the salesgirl is the lady-in-waiting of the main character, St. Claire is the tutor of the main character and her brother, and Kitty is a ghost who refuses to move on, but can be useful to the main character when she needs info she herself can't get.**

**3. Elizabeta's wedding dress is a real thing, just like her engagement ring. The link to both is on my profile.**

**I am back in school! It's actually not that bad… I have a German class though, and if I stay in that class two more years, I'll get to go to Germany!**

**Also: FUN QUESTION TIME/POLL!:**

**Question: Where do you guys think Gilbert and Elizabeta should get married?**

**Poll: Should Feliciano have a boy, a girl, or both?**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Chapter 13

A month had come and gone since Victor's departure, and it was now a few days before Thanksgiving, a holiday—Arthur discovered—that Alfred loved even _more_ than Halloween, if that were possible. In Arthur's otherworldly opinion, it was a senseless holiday filled with American football, mashed potatoes, turkey, and candied yams. Not that he was complaining. From Miss Evangeline's words, it was a delicious holiday, where people were happily surrounded by their friends and family.

Arthur watched as his mother-in-law made a bowl filled with homemade whipped cream, which she'd let him taste a few minutes ago; needless to say, it was delicious. Nobody had heard anything from Victor, and while Evangeline put up a good face for her sweet sons, her British son-in-law could easily see her heart slipping away, and Arthur understood her pain. The woman had been with her husband for nearly twenty-one years, and to have all of that ruined by him and Francis… Well, Evangeline said that it wasn't their fault, but the Brit and the Frenchman were both feeling a little guilty.

Outside in the yard sat Alfred and Matthew, who were playing with golden leaves like they were eleven all over again, and as Arthur watched them, he smiled, wondering if that's what his children would do on their Thanksgiving vacations someday. Oh, he could hardly wait!

"Arthur, what are you looking at?" Evangeline stepped over to the window, smiling at what she saw as a memory came back to her from years ago…

**Nine years ago…**

_The ten-year-old boy bounded out of the house, his Canadian twin hot on his trail as they ran toward a huge pile of leaves their father had just finished raking together._

_"Dad, watch us!" Alfred smiled, his cheeks round with the baby fat he'd yet to lose as he plunged himself into the pile of leaves, his hand grasping Matthew's so he wouldn't miss out on the fun._

_Victor smiled as his boys played in the ruined leaves, tossing them at each other and rolling around. The sun shone brightly overhead, but at the same time, bitter wind blew threw the small Californian town as the smell of tomato soup wafted from the open kitchen window and into the yard._

_"Mattie, look!" Alfred pointed to a fuzzy, black-and-orange caterpillar making his way up the maple tree in front of them. "A caterpillar!" The hyper boy reached for the bug, only to have his hand slapped away from it by his younger twin._

_"Al, don't!" Matthew whined, pouting. "Let it become a butterfly!"_

_Alfred pouted as well, crossing his arms and stomping his foot on the ground. "But butterflies are girly, Matt! Ew!"_

_"Alfred F. Jones, you listen to your brother!" Victor scolded as he snatched the hat off his son's head and held it too far up for the boy to get. "He's right' that caterpillar needs to become a butterfly. Right now, it's just a baby; it needs to grow, and when it does, it will be something really pretty. Do you get it?"_

_Alfred glared up at his father, still pouting, but nodded and reached eagerly for his hat. Victor chuckled and handed the boy his hat as he set about rearranging the leaves into their pile again so the boys could have another go at it before lunch was ready._

**Present time…**

Evangeline sniffled a little, an action that went unnoticed by Arthur, thank God. However, as she remembered that Arthur and Francis were pregnant, a smile lit her face up again. Evangeline remembered how happy her parents had been when she'd told them she was pregnant with Alfred and Matthew, and now she knew the feeling; she'd always assumed grandparents liked being grandparents because it was like reliving the days when their own children were small and needed them.

Evangeline was pulled from her thoughts as she saw Arthur jump a little out of the corner of her eye, his hands darting down to rub his still-growing belly. Arthur and Francis were in their fifth month, but Arthur's stomach was still a bit bigger than the Frenchman's; however, due to their trips to Ludwig's office every two or three weeks, they had no reason to believe there was anything wrong with Arthur's baby yet. In fact, his first ultrasound was this weekend, after Thanksgiving, and he simply couldn't wait.

"What is it?" Evangeline asked as Arthur's eyes shone and he rubbed his belly.

"The _baby's…kicking,"_ he whispered in awe, his hands moving all over his stretched belly all at once. "He's moving! Quick, get the boys!"

Evangeline's eyes widened and she smiled proudly as she ran to the window and called in Alfred and Matthew, both of whom looked just as surprised and happy at the news as they ran inside.

Alfred, of course, made it inside first, dropping to his knees before Arthur and gently grasping his stomach with wide, shimmering blue eyes. "My baby," he whispered as he felt little thumps against his hands. "My precious little girl!"

"It's a boy!" Arthur snapped, though it came out sounding strange, since he still had so much love and awe in his voice. After those words left his mouth, his stomach became a parking garage for hands as everyone touched him, wanting to feel the little wonder moving as well.

"Francis told me he could feel the baby moving last night, too," Matthew said softly, smiling proudly. "Our baby, though, not yours."

The room fell silent as the kicking slowly stopped. Once it did, Evangeline stood up to go shopping for a baby book, Matthew ran upstairs to tell Francis what had just happened, and Alfred rose to his feet, staring lovingly down at his merman.

"I love you, Arthur," he whispered as he leaned down to kiss him when the room was totally empty, save for them.

"I love you, too," Arthur responded as a tear made its way down his cheek. He couldn't've cared less though, because Alfred's lips were pressing softly against his as their hands joined together over his stomach.

**Meanwhile…**

Feliciano stared down at his stomach. It had become tender, but it hadn't swollen yet, like Francis' or Arthur's. He was shirtless, sitting in bed, with Ludwig's arms wrapped around him. Normally, he liked sitting like this, with his strong German lover holding him close, but right now, he just felt sad.

"It's just the hormones," he whispered to himself, so quietly Ludwig only heard "hormones".

"Really?" he asked, a little exasperated, as he mistook it for something else. "Again? Oh well, I guess it can't be helped."

Feliciano was a little confused, but went with it as Ludwig started to gently kiss his cheek, neck, and jaw. He let out a tiny gasp as Ludwig peppered his soft skin with little nips and tender bites. His beautiful German had started being much more loving and gentle with him since they'd discovered his pregnancy, and he was adoring each second of it.

As Ludwig's fingers traced his stomach, however, a loud knocking sound interrupted their tender moment, causing the blonde to sit up and glare dangerously at the door as the knocking continued.

"Lud!" Gilbert called from the other side of the door. "Lud! Open this door! I need your help!"

Ludwig sighed, irritated, as he got out of bed and made his way over to the door, throwing it open and staring daggers at his older brother. "What do you want, Gil? I'm busy."

Gilbert raised a silver brow, glancing over his taller brother's shoulders; a smirk came to his face when he saw the embarrassed, tomato-red Italian merman perched on the bed. "Oh…I get it. But that doesn't mean I'm going to leave you alone. Anyway, Elizabeta and I are picking a location for our wedding, and we could use your help."

"No." Ludwig moved to close the door, but Feliciano bolted out of the bed, a light blue button-down already thrown over his shoulders as he trotted down the hall, toward his sister-figure.

"Ve~! I wanna help, Liza! Please!"

Gilbert chuckled as he dragged his groaning brother down the hall with them. "Don't worry, bro! You can help her pick the cake!"

Ludwig's groaning got louder.

**Three hours later…**

"Okay, we've looked at several options," Elizabeta began as she surveyed the piles of brochures and pamphlets, "but I finally picked something." Elizabeta snatched up a pamphlet with pictures of a small white church, like the ones you see in those comforting pictures of the countryside you wish you could be in. Behind the church, where the reception would be held, was a beautiful field filled cherry blossom trees, orange blossom trees, and apple blossom trees, all delicately blooming as the sunlight hit them.

"You like this?" Ludwig took the pamphlet and studied it carefully, leaving no apostrophe or comma unnoticed. Once he was done, he nodded and put the pamphlet down. "It seems fine. I'll call them to set the date, okay?"

The couple had decided to get married on June 16th, which would undoubtedly be a warm, sunny day in Redding, California, where the little church was.

"What about invitations?" Elizabeta asked, suddenly realizing that such a thing was a problem. "I mean, I know Alfred, Francis, Matthew, and Arthur are up here with us, but what about everybody in the sea? Like Antonio and Roderich, or Bella and Vash?"

Gilbert tapped his chin thoughtfully, then smirked as an idea came to his mind. "The Awesome Me has a plan…"

**Meanwhile…**

Victor sighed and leaned against the wall behind him, closing his eyes. He was in his and Evangeline's house, rethinking the past month or two. Was he really going to throw everything he had with his family away just because his grandchildren were going to be merfolk?

"It's not normal," he whispered to himself, but at the same time, a voice inside his head whispered, "So what?"

He'd been having this inward fight with himself for awhile now, at least two weeks, and every night when he went to bed, he told himself that he'd call Evangeline in the morning and apologize; he never did. Instead, he got up, made coffee, got dressed, and sat in front of his TV, the news on mute, as he continued with the argument he'd started with himself.

"Maybe if I do some research I'll understand them more," he told himself, walking over to the laptop he'd set on the coffee table. He turned on the Internet and typed "mermen" into the Google search bar in the top right-hand corner. Almost as soon as he hit Enter, a barrage of websites popped up, ready to service him.

He clicked on the first one he saw, which was called **Mythical Creatures List**, and scrolled through the M's. When he came to Mermen, he clicked the link and watched the page load.

_Mermen_

_Mythical Number: #2230_

_Culture: Multiple Cultures_

_Attribute: Aquatic _

_Behavior: Deadly_

_Common Type: Merfolk_

_A male version of the mermaid, these mermen are said to be less attractive. When their own kind is hurt, they cast storms out at sea. They are rough and tough creature, and are known to eat their own children if they are hungry enough._

Victor's eyes widened as he read that one paragraph. "'Eat their own children'…?" he whispered to himself, nervously rubbing his throat. "That doesn't seem like Arthur or Francis at all… Better keep looking." Victor bookmarked the page and went back to Google to look at other websites. He came to Wikipedia and clicked on it.

_In Greek mythology, mermen were often illustrated to have green seaweed-like hair, a beard, and a trident. In Irish mythology, mermen were often described as ugly creatures with pointed green teeth, pig-like eyes, green hair, and a red nose. In Finnish mythology, a merman is often portrayed as a magical, powerful, handsome, bearded man with the tail of a fish. He can cure illnesses, lift curses, and brew potions, but he can also cause unintentional harm by being too curious about the human world. The boto of the Amazon River regions is described, according to local lore, as taking the form of a human or a merman—also known as encantado ("enchanted one" in Portuguese)—and with the habit of seducing human women and impregnating them. Chinese mermen were believed to only surface during storms, or were believed to actually cause storms. _

_The actions and behavior of mermen can vary wildly, depending on the culture and time period of the stories. They have been said to sink ships by causing terrible storms, but are also wise teachers, according to earlier mythology. Mermen, just like mermaids, can lure and attract humans with their enchantingly beautiful, soft, melodic, and seductive siren-like singing voices and tones._

Victor sighed and rubbed his eyes. He had a long day to get through…

**Hours later…**

Victor shut off the laptop and groaned as he blinked for the first time in what felt like an eternity. His eyes stung a little and were undoubtedly red, but he'd find the eye drops in a little while.

"Okay," he said to himself, "so I learned that in most cultures, mermen are dangerous, seductive creatures that cause sorrow, but in other cultures, they're like Arthur and Francis. Damn it, the Internet can only take me so far…"

Victor put his face in his hands as he realized something: if he wanted the truth, he had to go back to Salvation and talk to Arthur and Francis. Oh boy…

**A/N: FUN FACT/QUESTION TIME!:**

**Facts:**

**1. That Mythical Creatures List place in an actual website, and it's got so many mythical things on there that it was take a year to read all of it. I like it.**

**2. Candied yams and homemade whipped cream are a big part of my family's Thanksgiving; I don't like them, but a lot of my relatives do. I'm usually stuck playing with the kids.**

**3. I picked the little church with blossom trees for their wedding because it just seems so comfortable and sweet. I thought a beach wedding would be too expectable, so I wanted to do something different. (Plus, it's where I would want to get married.)**

**Question:**

**If you could take care of the baby version of a Hetalia character—but only one!—for a whole week, which character would it be?**

**Bye! Love you guys! Have a good week!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Chapter 14

So far, Thanksgiving was going great. Arthur's family—minus his brothers' wives and children—had arrived around noon to help him cook, and Evangeline and Lydelle were getting along great. Not long after Arthur's family's arrival, Matthew and Francis had popped up, Francis holding a bowl filled with stuffing and Matthew holding a bottle of maple syrup.

"So, how much longer does Arthur have?" Lydelle asked as she lovingly stroked her son's growing stomach.

"Mum, I'm only five months along," Arthur said as he blushed. "Relax, okay? But…a few days ago, I could feel him kicking."

"'Him'?" Calder asked from his place on the couch next to Alfred, who looked _very_ tense. "It's a boy?"

"_Arthur_ thinks it's a boy," Evangeline corrected, smiling. "However, _Alfred_ thinks it's a girl. They haven't stopped fighting about the gender since they discovered Arthur was pregnant."

"A boy would bring great honor and strength to your family," Lydelle said in a wise tone. "But a girl would bring beauty and riches…"

"Mum, they don't want to be bored by old beliefs and traditions," Williams said, flicking a spec of dust from his shoulder.

"Oh no!" Evangeline smiled and clapped her hands together once. "I would love to! I want to know more about your kind, if that's okay. I've been meaning to ask Arthur, but helping him with his pregnancy takes a lot of energy out of me, so please, do tell me more!"

Lydelle smirked at her sons, who all grumbled a little in annoyance—sans Arthur—before turning back to the American woman. "I'd be delighted to. But since dinner's almost ready, how about we wait until afterward, all right?"

"That sounds reasonable," Evangeline agreed as she glanced at the clock, which read four-thirty. "Besides, Arthur's friend Feliciano should be here with his friends soon. We have so many people arriving today that we had to set up the dinner on the nice picnic table outback. I hope that's okay."

"It's fine," Calder said as he walked outside to survey the makeshift dinner table, which actually didn't look half-bad. "The weather's nice, and ya put a large umbrella over the table, so we'll be fine. I'll help yer sons bring out the food." With that, he strolled into the kitchen to help his brothers-in-law.

"_Mademoiselle Evangeline_, you'll be glad to know that I finally finished that Christmas dress for you," Francis said with a smile. "I can show it to you tomorrow, if you'd like."

As the idle chatter continued, the doorbell rang, and before anyone could open it, Gilbert walked in, smirking, with a smiling Elizabeta, an irritated Ludwig, and an excite Feliciano on his tail.

"The Awesome Me and my awesome family have arrived!"

"Gilbert, please stop saying that every time we go somewhere with you," Ludwig muttered as he walked into the house, holding Feliciano's hand. "It's sounds…un-awesome."

Gilbert rolled his eyes and put his arm around Elizabeta waist, leaning over to peck her cheek gently. "Whatever, Lud. You're just jealous 'cause you're not as awesome as me."

Ludwig ignored his brother as he walked into the living room with Feliciano, who flew out of his grasp almost immediately to give everyone in the room a sweet kiss on the cheek.

"Hello, everyone!" he practically sang as he pulled away from giving his last peck to Alfred. "Isn't it lovely today?"

There was an awkward silence before the twins—Aiden and Braeden—decided to break it.

"He's pregnant too, huh?" they asked together expectantly, glancing at each other and then at Feliciano.

Ludwig nodded and glanced away, a cute pink blush on his cheeks. "_Ja_, he is. He gets pretty emotional, even though he's not that far along, but still…"

"Ludwig, I want something to drink!" Feliciano said as he followed everyone else into the backyard so they could eat. He sounded whiney all of a sudden.

"Maybe later, Feli…"

**Meanwhile…**

"Attention passengers," began the voice of the plane's captain as it came over the speaker, "this is your captain speaking. We will be arriving on the small island of Salvation, Florida in about an twenty minutes. That is all."

Victor sighed as the small crackle indicated that the speaker was off. He glanced around for the first time since he'd boarded the plane about four hours ago. He noticed that there was an elderly woman sitting next to him; she looked rather bored, so he decided to be polite and try to start small talk.

"Hello, miss," he said, catching the woman's attention.

"Oh, hello, young man." The woman smiled genuinely at him, her brown eyes full of the warmth that only a truly kind person could really have. "Can I help you?"

"Well, I saw that you were looking a little bored, so I decided to try to talk to you, since I'm bored myself." Victor smiled. "So, why are you going to Salvation?"

"Well, not only is it Thanksgiving, but today is my granddaughter's birthday as well. What about you?"

"I'm visiting my sons and their…" Victor trailed off suddenly, not really sure _what_ he should call Arthur and Francis; "boyfriends" sounded too teenage-ish, and "lover" meant something Victor would much rather avoid thinking about. "Partners," he finally concluded, not realizing he'd said that aloud.

"And you don't know how to feel about that, do you?" The elderly woman gave him a gentle, understanding look. "I know how you feel; when I first found out one of my sons was gay, I was shocked, and my husband was ready to disown the poor boy. But then I remembered how my parents ignored me when they found out I was marrying some scruffy farmer's son, and how happy my husband had made me, and I realized something: it doesn't matter who your children love, because as long as it's not illegal, you should support them as much as you can. Otherwise, you may loose them."

Victor felt his last layer of ice melt away from his heart, and he smiled gratefully. "Thank you, miss; I needed that. But, if I may ask, where is your husband? I don't see him."

"Thomas passed on about five years ago. He never worked it out with our son, but I did it for him."

**Meanwhile…**

"So, Arthur told me once that you guys have sports in ocean," Alfred began as he plopped a spoonful of mashed potatoes onto his plate. "What kind of sports do you have?"

Calder and his brothers seemed to pause thoughtfully for a moment, Gilbert and Elizabeta as well, before Aiden spoke up. "We got this game called Shell Ball."

"What's that?" Matthew asked.

"It's like the merfolk version of what you'd call soccer," Lydelle explained. "Basically the same rules, except you use a thick shell instead of a ball, and fins instead of feet."

"Artie always got hit in the head whenever he'd play!" Calder laughed, his brothers joining him.

Francis looked up from buttering a roll and shook his head. "Like you never got slapped by somebody else's fin because you were a total showoff." Then he coughed falsely, and in-between coughs, Arthur swore he could hear Francis mutter, "Gaul!"

Calder snorted and took a swig of his beer, ignoring the French merman. "Aye…"

"Well, frog, you were worse at it than me, and our teacher never thought that was possible." Arthur smirked as the Frenchman's blue eyes narrowed at him. "At least I would _try_; you would hide away behind coral or a rock, and scream whenever someone kicked the shell toward you!"

Francis opened his mouth to retaliate, but Lydelle and Evangeline both said sternly, "Boys, that's enough!"

The table settled down, but Evangeline heard Matthew and Alfred quietly snickering under their breath, and she tapped them both quickly on the back of the head. As they chorused whines, she said, "I told you to stop."

Alfred grumbled under his breath and Matthew sat there quietly, picking at his turkey, as the doorbell rang again. Everyone glanced around, confused; nobody else was suppose to arrive, so why was the doorbell being rung?

"I'll get it," Evangeline said as she stood up, wiping her hands and mouth off. "One minute!" she called as she walked into the house. She put on a polite small and opened the door.

Her face immediately changed and fell. "Victor," she said softly as she stared at her sheepish husband. "What are you doing here?"

**A/N: PAY ATTENTION/FUN QUESTION TIME:**

**PAY ATTENTION: I apologize for the shortness of this chapter, but I wanted to save all the good parts for the next one. I feel all of that will need its own chapter. But trust me, there's going to be _a lot_ of yelling…mostly by Arthur's brothers, but still… Also, I wanted to inform everyone that wanted me to make a third story—so that this is a trilogy—that I have the plot worked out and that I'm ready to write it once I finish this one, which may not happen until October. There's only a few chapters left in this one, but I'll update every weekend for you guys, okay?**

**FUN QUESTION: If you could live in any Cardverse!Hetalia kingdom—Spades, Diamonds, Hearts, or Clubs—and _only_ one for the rest of your life, which kingdom would you live in, and what would be your career/lifestyle in the kingdom?**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the idea for the story.**

Chapter 15

Evangeline Jones-Williams had experienced a lot of surprise in her life: her parents renewing their vows, going to an Ivy League college, meeting Victor, falling in love with him, marrying him, having Alfred and Matthew…Matthew and Alfred falling in love with—and impregnating—mermen, Victor not being okay with it and leaving; and now, Victor standing on the porch, before her very eyes, looking at her sheepishly and waiting to be invited in.

"Hello, Geline," Victor said softly, looking over his wife, from her high heels to her platinum-blonde bun. "Happy Thanksgiving…"

"Mom?" Alfred called curiously from the backyard. "Who's at the door?"

Evangeline glanced over her shoulder, snapped out of her shock-induced trance by her son's voice, before looking back at her husband with slight confusion in her eyes. What was she supposed to do?

"Are you gonna let me in, or just stand there?" Victor grinned at his wife, using one of the lines he'd used years ago on her, during one of their first dates.

Evangeline recognized the line, and for a split second, she grinned at her husband. "You never change," she said softly, the grin fading away. "But…"

"Dad?" Matthew and Alfred were standing in the doorway with wide eyes, though it was Matthew who'd spoken.

"What are you doing here?" Alfred asked, his voice blank, as he didn't know how he should sound at the moment. He was angry, and wanted to yell at his father and shove him out the door, but at the same time, he was hopeful of the idea that Victor had appeared here so that he could apologize to them and accept Arthur and Francis.

"Can I come in?" Victor asked them patiently, answering with his own question. "I'll explain everything."

Matthew and Alfred looked at each other, and then over their shoulders, noticing that Arthur and Francis were now standing in the doorway, both of them just as shocked and confused as their lovers. The Frenchman glanced at Arthur, who gave a slight nod, and then he nodded at Matthew and Alfred.

"I guess you can come in, Dad," Alfred said slowly, though it sounded more like he was asking a question, rather than answering one.

Victor stepped into the house cautiously, as if waiting for one of the boys to suddenly jerk and kick him right back out. When no one did so, he sat down on the couch, though he looked a little awkward and uncomfortable.

"Oi! What's takin' so long?" Calder demanded as he walked into the living room, Aiden flanking his right and Braeden on his left; William was behind them, with Lydelle at his side.

"Uh…" Victor rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and waved. "Hello…?"

"Everyone, this is Victor," Arthur began, gesturing to the human man as Gilbert, Ludwig, Elizabeta, and Feliciano all joined them as well, leaving the food forgotten on the picnic table outside. "He's Alfred and Matthew's father, and Evangeline's husband."

Suddenly, things were a lot tenser than they'd already been, and Alfred honestly didn't think that was possible. Calder's muscles stiffened and his green eyes hardened into emeralds that someone had just plucked from a glacier, and his brothers' forms did the same; Lydelle hesitantly crept over to Evangeline's side, putting a hand on her shoulder; Feliciano bit his lip and joined Arthur and Francis in the corner; Elizabeta reached into her large tote bag on the couch, grabbing the handle of her small, trusty frying pan, though she didn't pull it out yet; Gilbert silently cracked his knuckled from his place behind Ludwig; Ludwig glared at the man, his own hand forming fists, then hands, then fists, over and over again.

"Now, before everyone starts ganging up on my dad," Alfred began, stepping hesitantly in front of the group of people, "let's hear what he has to say, all right?"

"Yeah," Matthew agreed quietly, copying Alfred's movement. "Let's—"

"'Listen ta what he's got ta say'?!" Calder hissed in a mixture of anger and disbelief. "How _daft_ are ya, human?!"

"Calder, stop it!" Arthur snapped, turning his flickering green eyes on his oldest brother. "He didn't do anything!"

"Exactly!" Aiden exclaimed, stepping in for the Scottish merman. "He never did anything! Ya know, Calder told us he was no good for ya, Artie, and we shoulda listened to 'im! _You_ shoulda listened to 'im!"

"It's not Alfred's fault his father thinks we're freaks!" William growled, coming to Arthur's defense, as usual. "If Alfred thought Arthur was a freak, he wouldn't be with him, would he?!"

"It ain't about Alfie here thinkin' Artie's a freak!" Braden hissed. "It's about 'im not standin' up for Artie!"

"Alfred stands up for me by being with me!" Arthur's eyes were fire encased in orbs of jade now as he sent each of his brothers—minus William—a gaze that could melt diamond. "I love him, and he loves me!"

"Boys, that's enough!" Lydelle glared at her sons for their immature behavior, but none of them were listening to her.

"Humans are worthless, Artie!" Calder growled. "When are ya gonna get that through yer thick skull?! I shoulda taken ya back with me when I had the chance, but _no!_ I had ta leave ya up here with '_im_"—he pointed viciously at Alfred, who stood there, glaring angrily at the Kirkland brothers—"because ya just love 'im ta _bits_!"

"You're damn right I do, you bloody wanker!" Arthur looked ready to choke the entire life right out of Calder. "He's everything to me, and you can sod the fuck off if you can't deal with that!"

"And humans aren't worthless!" Francis hissed, stepping into the fight as well. "They've done a lot in their time, just like we have!"

"Like _what_?!" Aiden growled. "Pollute our waters? Become pirates and try ta hunt us down like animals? Run members of our families—and our pets—over with their six-ton ships? Yeah, they're great!"

Alfred, Matthew, and Ludwig were all full-on shaking with anger by this point. Evangeline stood there with Lydelle, a little frightened, and Victor sat on the couch, watching quietly. He didn't want to interrupt and make everybody hate him even more.

The yelling grew louder, the air got thicker with tension, and just when you could tell someone was about to throw the first punch—

"Everyone, just _shut_ _up_!" Matthew cried from his place on the coffee table. His blue eyes were narrowed as he glared at everyone in the room. "Okay?! Just _shut_ _up_!"

The room fell silent as the tension slowly lost of few layers and everyone caught their breath. All eyes were on Matthew, who stepped down from the coffee table with a relieved sigh. It was easy to tell that he was about to collapse from having to yell so loudly, but what choice did he have? It was obvious a huge fight had been about to break out, and he couldn't let _that_ happen! Not on Thanksgiving!

"Thank you," Matthew panted, leaning on Francis a little for support. "Now, everyone, please…let's just listen to what my dad's got to say, all right?"

All eyes turned from Matthew to Victor in an instant; expectant, waiting.

Victor cleared his throat and stood up. "Thank you, Mattie," he said to his youngest, who gave him a weak thumbs-up and nodded. "Now, I would like to personally…_apologize_ for the way I acted when I found out about Francis and Arthur." He turned to Alfred and sighed. "Son, I'm sorry; I guess I was just…freaked out. It just didn't seem right at the time, but I know you're happy with Arthur, like Matthew is with Francis. I remember how my parents were ecstatic when I told them of my engagement to your mother; I was confused, because they'd never really warmed up to Evangeline, but then I realized that _they_ were happy, because_ I_ was happy. And I should be happy for you; it shouldn't matter who—or _what_—Arthur is. As long as he makes you happy, I should be happy with you, like your mother is. I'm sorry, boys."

Calder and his brothers snorted, as did Ludwig and Gilbert, but Lydelle, Evangeline, and Feliciano all had tears in their eyes as they watched Matthew and Alfred tightly hug their father. It looked like something that came straight from a cheesy sitcom's after-school special.

"Well, now that we've gotten all of that out of the way," Elizabeta said as she took Gilbert's hand and stepped forward, "I have some good news, and some bad news."

"Bad news first," Feliciano said, cuddling into Ludwig's side as the latter blushed.

"We're going to have to postpone the wedding until next December."

"What?!" Ludwig turned to glare angrily at his brother, jumping to conclusions. "Why?! What the hell did he do?!"

"Hold on, _dummkopf_," Gilbert said, rolling his eyes. "She didn't get to the good news yet."

"Oh, right." Ludwig sighed and tried to calm himself down for that part. "So, what's the good news?"

Elizabeta's smile got even bigger and brighter as she leaned over and threw her arms around Gilbert. "I'm pregnant!"

Ludwig almost _fainted,_ his face was so red.

**Later…**

After awakening Ludwig with some smelling salts that Alfred kept in the bathroom for Mattie, everyone finished eating and went home, Victor returning to the hotel with Evangeline at his side, like how it should be. Lydelle and her sons were also going to be in town for a few days, so they'd rented a room or two at the hotel as well.

Arthur sat in the bathtub, the lights down, candlelight flickering around him, making his scales gleam beautifully. The highest point of his round stomach poked slightly out from underneath the mountain of bubbles surrounding him. He was glad to simply lie in the bathtub in his true form, letting the stress slip off of him and into the water as he relaxed. Gently and lovingly, he traced his stomach, every now and then feeling little kicks and nudges. He smiled and rested his head against the bath pillow Alfred had bought for him, closing his eyes as he heard the bathroom door open.

"Hey, Artie," he heard Alfred whisper in his ear, his warm breath blowing over his skin. "What's up?"

Arthur cracked open one forest-colored orb and grinned. "Hello, love," he said as he pulled one of his hands from his stomach to lace it with Alfred's. He placed Alfred hand on his stomach and murmured in his ear, "Feel, darling."

Alfred concentrated, moving his hand about, and he smiled broadly when he felt the same kicks and nudges Arthur had felt only seconds ago. "That's amazing, Artie…" His sea-colored eyes widened as he felt another sudden, more powerful kick against his hand. "Hey…" There was a beautiful shimmer in the American's eyes now. "She likes the sound of my voice, Artie!"

Another nudge.

"It's a boy, git!" However, Arthur smiled and kissed Alfred's cheek. "And the only reason he loves your voice is because you have the most beautiful voice in the world."

Alfred blushed and looked away, smiling. "No, I don't. You do, Artie. Especially with that amazing accent of yours."

Arthur chuckled, tugging on Alfred's shirt. "Get in here with me."

"How?" Alfred glanced at the tub, which was completely taken over by his lover's true body. "The tub's full."

Arthur rolled his eyes and slipped out of the tub, waiting patiently on the towel-covered floor for Alfred to disrobe and get in. The American quickly got the message, shedding his clothes and stepping into the warm, bubble-frothy bathwater. He sank down, allowing it to relax him as it had his lover, before he smiled down at Arthur, enjoying the way the candlelight made his soft, milky skin look smooth and sun-kissed. The amber flames from the melting candles seemed to reflect in the deep, black pupils of Arthur's meadow eyes, making it look like he had two tiny suns in his orbs.

"Now help me back in," Arthur said, holding out his arms. "Before I sprout legs."

Alfred chuckled, but wrapped his arms carefully around the merman and lifted him back into the tub, setting him gently on his lap, so his slender back was pressed against Alfred's strong chest. The Brit sighed contently and wrapped his tail around Alfred's legs playfully.

Nothing sexual happened between them; this moment wasn't really about passion, lust, sex, or even a hint of desire. It was about the love they had for each other, about the love they had for the child growing inside Arthur. The warm water, the flickering candles, the heat and bareness of each others' true bodies…it was all part of how they knew they could be this vulnerable with the other, and be safe at the same time. It was incredibly intimate with them even _getting_ intimate.

And, for a moment, Arthur thought he might've loved it even more that he loved sex; but he only thought that for a moment.

"I love you," Arthur breathed, head on Alfred's collarbone, eyes closed, hands on his growing belly, and a small smile on his relaxed face. However, as he felt a nudge to his hand from inside his body, he wasn't entirely sure who he'd been talking to; his lover, or his baby.

Alfred, though, knew he meant both, and smiled himself, kissing the top of Arthur's head. "I love you, too." Like Arthur, Alfred was talking to both of them; his lover and his baby.

**A/N: FUN QUESTION TIME!:**

**Question: If you could babysit for any Hetalia couple, who would you babysit for, and how do you think the baby would behave?**

**Oh, and I also wanted to tell you guys something else. If you don't want spoilers for the third one, I suggest you turn back now. There will be a few...unexpected characters in the next one. Can any of you guys guess at least three of who they are?**

**I'll give you a hint: They're not OCs. Like, they won't be like Victor and Evangeline, or everyone's kids. They have designs, but they're not in the anime or the manga. **

**Yes, I made the end th****ere fluffy, but I like fluffy endings! Don't worry, there's still one or two chapters left, maybe three, and then I'll start working on the third one, okay? I'm glad you guys like this story so much that you want a third one! Here, have some Hetalia cupcakes! **


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, my dears. I wish I did though. A merman Italy would be adorable…**

Chapter 16

Arthur felt something was…coming. Something very important. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he undoubtedly _knew_ it to be something _very_ important. It nagged and chewed at his mind for weeks as the beginning of April—and the beginning of his and Francis' ninth month of pregnancy—rolled around. He couldn't quite explain it, but whatever it was seemed to be urging him greatly to…not exactly go down to the ocean, but to the beach—or at least to someplace near moving water, like a riverbed or a pond by a waterfall. Maybe even to that lagoon-like place that Alfred had been taking him to recently.

"What _is_ it?" Arthur demanded anxiously under his breath on April 9th as he pretended to watch _Game of Thrones_. Alfred wasn't home at the moment, as he and Matthew were out buying last minute baby stuff, such as blankets, binkies, clothes, booties, etc. Arthur ran his hand over his rather large bump, feeling tiny feet kick against his palm from within him, and he couldn't help but smile a little.

Arthur had been trying—in vain, though—to get ultrasounds from Ludwig since November, but as it turned out, ultrasounds didn't work on his kind. Something about his body not reacting correctly to the gel, or something blocking the little cameras view… But Ludwig had at least been able to tell Alfred and Arthur that their child was happy, healthy, and safe inside its "mother".

"What's making me so jittery lately?" Arthur mumbled to himself as he flipped the channel, cursing when he came across a commercial for a beach resort. "I mean, I go to the sea every month with Alfred and my brothers, so that can't be it…"

For a brief second, Arthur was considering contacting his mother via messenger fish, but then he realized that she probably wouldn't be able to help him anyway. His mother had never been a pregnant mer_man_ after all.

**Meanwhile…**

The seven-months-pregnant Feliciano waddled his way to his lover's side, feeling the baby kick around within him. He smiled and let out a soft "Ve~", rubbing his swollen belly as Ludwig looked up. Ludwig was just getting off his shift at the hospital, and Gilbert had driven Feliciano here so they could come pick him up. (And Feli wanted Ludwig to feel the baby kicking.)

"She's so hyper," Feliciano said as he felt another kick to his body. "Feel, Luddy!" The Italian grasped his lover's hand and placed it on his belly, letting the German man feel his child move around inside its "mother".

Even though the Italian and the German had no idea what gender their baby was, Feliciano became accustomed to the idea of calling it a "her" or a "she", since he wanted a little girl for them so much.

Ludwig smiled as he felt his baby kick at his palms, feeling himself fill with love—not just love for Feli, but love for himself, for his soon-to-be family. Now he understood how his father had felt when his mother had been pregnant with him.

"_Ich liebe dich," _he whispered as he kneeled down and kissed Feliciano's stomach, causing the merman to "Ve~!" and laugh.

"_Te amo!" _Feli smiled as Ludwig stood up, giving him the chance to wrap his arms around his swollen belly and hug the growing child from outside. "Can we go home now, Luddy?"

Ludwig rolled his eyes, but smiled and packed up the last of his work for the night. As he left the office, he and Feliciano bid goodbye to Miss Karpusi, who was busy lecturing her son about the importance of keeping cats.

"Finally, you're done with work," Gilbert mumbled as his little half-brother and the pregnant Italian made their way to his red BMW. "I was bored with no one to torture."

"You have Elizabeta," Ludwig grumbled, glaring at his brother's smirk. "And besides, shouldn't you be at her side right now? She is six months along, you know."

"Yeah, but you're at work most of the time, and Feli's _seven_ months along," Gilbert pointed out, his smirk getting bigger.

Ludwig didn't say a word as he helped Feliciano carefully into the backseat, nor did he say anything on the car ride home.

**Meanwhile…**

"Arthur, you've got to help us!" Matthew cried as he and Alfred ran into the house with frantic looks on their faces and their arms full of bags.

Arthur, who'd been feeding the tropical fish Alfred had given him, yelped at the sudden cries and accidentally dropped the entire bottle of fish food into the tank, which all the fish immediately started to swarm at. He scowled and turned to scold the twins, but froze up when he saw their worried and frantic looks.

"What's wrong?" he asked calmly, taking the bags away from them, so that if one of them got angry, nothing would get ruined. "What happened?"

"We can't find Francis!" Mattie cried as he threw himself into his brother's arms for comfort. "We went back to my house to drop off the stuff I bought for my baby there, but he wasn't there! I thought he might be in the tub, so I checked, but he wasn't there either! I looked all over the house, but I couldn't find him! Please, Arthur, help us!"

"Couldn't he have just driven somewhere for awhile?" Arthur asked, trying to keep the boys logical before they did anything crazy or made assumptions.

"He's too big to fit behind the wheel right now!"

Arthur sighed and tried to keep a calm appearance, but on the inside, he was just as worried and hysteric as the other two were. Where the hell could Francis have gone?!

"Well, did you try calling him?"

"He left his cell on the table, Artie," Alfred said fearfully, shaking his head. He wasn't as frightened as his brother, but he still looked scared. "That's not like him, right?"

Arthur's calm disposition was slipping away now, the worry and fear becoming more and more apparent on his body. "No, that isn't like Francis at all… Call Ludwig and Feliciano, perhaps they've seen him."

Alfred nodded and sat his brother on the couch before he ran off to the kitchen to make the call.

**Meanwhile…**

Just as Ludwig and his family were walking through the door, the phone on the coffee table rang. "Help Feliciano upstairs for a nap while I answer that," he instructed Gilbert before pressing the answer button on the phone. "Hello?"

"Ludwig?" Alfred asked quickly on the other end of the line, his voice a little worried.

Ludwig raised a cautious, curious eyebrow before answering, _"Ja." _

"Dude, have you seen Francis?" Still quick and worried.

"_Nein, _I haven't. Why?" Ludwig then remembered that Francis was pregnant as well, and he immediately became as worried as the American seemed to be. "Is something wrong? What's happening?"

"Mattie and I got back to his house from baby shopping and couldn't find him anywhere! Mattie's here at my house crying. Can you call and tell us if you see him?"

"_Ja_, of course. I hope you find him."

"Thanks." Alfred hung up.

Meanwhile…

"What if we never find him?!" Matthew gasped in-between sobs. "Then what'll I do?! My baby _and_ Francis will be gone forever!"

"Now, now, Matthew," Arthur began soothingly, rubbing the Canadian's back. "Let's try to be positive for a moment, okay? I'm sure he's fine. Tell you what, if we don't find him in two day, I'll tell my brothers to let Gaul know, and while we search land, they can search sea, okay?"

Matthew nodded and sniffled, rubbing his eyes. "Thanks, Arthur. Al's lucky to have you, you know that?" He hugged the pregnant English merman the best he could before pulling back and curling up on the couch; he was asleep within seconds.

Arthur sighed and stood, placing a blanket over the slumbering Matthew before he walked over to the window to stare out at the twilight-painted sky. He hugged his bump and shuddered, thinking of Francis as he prayed silently to Poseidon for the safe return of the French merman. As he was praying, Alfred came back into the room and wrapped his arms gently around Arthur from behind. He hooked his hands with his lover's and closed his eyes, silently praying as well.

**The next day…**

Arthur rubbed his eyes and pushed himself up slowly, yawning and stretching the best he could, given the huge bump in his abdomen. As his back popped, he remembered last night's events and went as quickly as he could downstairs, clad only in flannel pajama bottoms. Matthew was still asleep on the couch, his face no longer tear-stained and red, but his hair an absolute mess and his clothes rumpled from sleep. At some point in the night, Alfred must've come downstairs and put a second blanket on him, because he had a smile pile forming on his body, and he wasn't as cold-looking as he'd been last night.

"Oh, Francis," Arthur whispered sadly as he looked at the sky as it turned its normal spring-blue for the day. "Where are you?"

A few hours later, Alfred was up and making bacon in the kitchen, and Matthew was slowly coming into a conscious state on the couch. It was almost noon, and Arthur was dressed, reading the paper anxiously, looking for any sign of Francis in the Missing Persons section, but sadly, nothing appeared to him.

"C'mon, Artie," Alfred said softly, pushing the paper away from his Brit as he put a plate of eggs, scones, and tea in front of him. "All this worrying you're doing can't be good for our baby."

Arthur sighed and nodded, rubbing his own swollen belly as he remembered how happy he'd been only a day or two ago. "Yes, love, I know." Arthur let a small smile grace his lips as he bit into one of Alfred's soft scones. "But still…he's a friend of mine, Alfred, and—in a way—he's your brother-in-law. We can't just ignore this."

"And we won't," Alfred said as Matthew trudged into the room, looking exhausted. "But first, you two need to eat. You're going to need as much energy as possible if we go looking for him today."

Matthew wordlessly sat down across the table and started eating the pancakes Alfred put in front of him. Alfred himself was about to sit down to his own plate when there was a knock on the door. He did his best to smile politely as he made his way to the door and opened it.

"_Bonjour, mon ami_," a tired-looking Francis said as he stood on the porch. "I hope I did not worry you."

"Francis!" Alfred cried, preparing to launch himself at the Frenchman. However, he was stopped when he actually looked at Francis. His eyes widen to a sixe they'd never been before, and his heart sped up in his chest. He could hear Arthur and Matthew walking in behind him, but he was too busy looking at the Frenchman to care.

Francis' golden hair was tangled and sticking to his skin from drying sweat. His normally pale skin was a bit flushed, and there were dark circles under his eyes. He looked so fragile he could fall apart at any second. His oversized clothes looked ready to fall from his body. But, despite looking completely wrecked, he was…glowing. He looked so happy and proud, a weak, small smile on his exhausted face.

But Alfred wasn't looking at any of that. He wasn't even staring at Francis' thin, shirtless figure.

He was too busy staring at the small, sleeping baby—wrapped up in Francis' shell-pink button-down—that was nestled safely in Francis' arms.

**A/N: CELEBRATION TIME!**

**Yay, Francis finally had his baby! And I'm guessing that from the shirt color he wrapped it in, you all already know what gender it is? Hm? Do ya? Anyway, this is the second-to-last chapter, but don't worry. I promise there will be a third one, and that Artie will have his own baby soon!**

**I don't have a lot to say here, and I'm kind of rushing this Author's Note, but I hope you guys liked this chapter!**

**Love you all! Bye!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: Nothing's mine, sadly.**

Chapter 17

Matthew shoved his way passed Alfred and opened his mouth to question Francis about his disappearance, but—like his brother—he stopped short once he got a good look at his lover.

Francis was no longer plump, well-kept, and glowing; instead, he was thin, pale, shirtless, and a mess. Yet, still, he was very happy, and it was all because of the quietly-sleeping baby in his arms. It was wrapped up in Francis' favorite shell-pink button-down shirt, now ruined forever, since Francis had also seemed to use it to wipe the baby down after giving birth to it. And yet—despite the fatigue he must've been feeling, despite the loss of his shirt, and despite worrying his family _half to death_ over him—he was still smiling, a happy glow making his tropical-blue eyes as radiant as ever.

"Francis…" Matthew's single word was breathed out in a shaky whisper as he stared at the baby, shock—and possibly hurt—replaced by every ounce of love his body could contain. "That's where you were? Giving birth?" He shook his head in confusion, but gingerly reached out, palms shaking, as he silently asked for his child to be put in his longing arms.

Francis smiled gently at the father of the baby in his hands and nodded. He shifted the baby a little and then placed it in Matthew's waiting arms, watching happily and proudly as the Canadian cradled their hours-old child like he'd already been doing it for a year. He hadn't felt pain, bringing his child into the world; in fact, merfolk didn't feel pain when giving birth. Sure, it'd been very uncomfortable and bloody, but no pain had coursed through Francis' body, not in the beginning, the end, or in the middle. And then, when he'd actually picked up the wailing newborn, soothed it, cleaned it, and wrapped it up, he'd felt his love grow. No, there was absolutely no way he'd taken any love away from Matthew's place in his heart and given it to his baby; instead, he'd felt his heart grow larger, spread out, so that both Matthew _and_ the baby had plenty of it.

"Come inside, frog," Arthur said softly as he navigated the new family into the house and closed the door. "You need to rest."

"_Je vous remercie, mon veil ami," _Francis said with a tired smile as he collapsed onto the couch, sighing happily as he relaxed into the cushions.

Matthew sat beside him, and Alfred leaned over the back of the couch with Arthur at his side, everyone transfixed by the tiny miracle that was slowly awakening in Matthew's arms.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Alfred whispered to Francis, whose eyes were droopy as he sleep take over his body.

"_Une fille," _Francis whispered as he fell into a deep sleep, one he truly deserved. "I didn't name her though…"

As Francis fell asleep, his daughter awoke, revealing a pair of unbelievably beautiful tropical-blue eyes. There were small curls—that were the same sandy-blonde color as Matthew's waves—smattering her round, milky-white head. Her lips were a shell-pink color, and when she opened her mouth in confusion, everyone's eyes widened, for she already had a mouthful of pure-white baby teeth. Her tiny, slightly pudgy body rolled around in the makeshift blanket as she studied the ones around her. Her tropical-blue eyes suddenly began to water, as she recognized none of them, and before she could begin to cry, Matthew held her gently against his chest and rocked her slowly, cooing and singing to her as he did.

_Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques_

_Dormez-vous?, Dormez-vous?_

_Sonnez les matines, Sonnez les matines_

_Ding dang dong, ding dang dong_

The baby suddenly stopped writhing, staring up at Matthew with a soft, interested expression. As they waited with baited breath, she reached up and patted his cheek, as if asking him to speak once more; Matthew repeated the song.

The baby girl burst out giggling and continued to reach for Matthew, her eyes alight with happiness and amusement. Matthew sighed in relief and stroked her soft skin, completely forgetting everybody in the world; all that mattered was his daughter right now.

"Wait," Alfred said, temporarily breaking his brother's blissful moment. "Francis said he didn't name her, right?"

Matthew's eyes widened as he watched the baby girl reach for a lock of his mussed hair. "That's right, he didn't. Maybe I should at least give her a first name while he's out, and then he can pick her middle name, and then we'll decide whose last name to give her."

The other two nodded, and while Alfred carried the passed-out Francis to the guestroom, Arthur and Matthew started to think about baby names.

**Later…**

"Cassandra," Matthew decided with a smile, gently tickling his daughter's tiny feet, causing her to giggle and kick at him. "Her name is Cassandra…"

"That's beautiful, Matthew," Arthur said softly, staring down at his little niece. He felt a little kick from within his own body, and as his hand instinctively flew to where it'd landed, he could only hope that his own child would have such a great name. "And I hope she'll be just as beautiful as her name."

Alfred smiled at the warm scene and quietly dismissed himself, positive that his brother and his lover probably wouldn't even notice his disappearance. Instead, he walked into the kitchen and put some bread in the toaster. As he pulled the butter and the strawberry jelly from the fridge, he heard Cassandra giggle again from the other room, and he felt excited, because he—like Arthur—hoped that his baby would be as lovely and healthy as his brother's.

**The next day…**

In the end, her middle name was Charlotte, and she took both Francis' and Matthew's last names. So, her full name ended up being Cassandra Charlotte Bonnefoy-Williams. And she would undoubtedly be loved dearly by all of those around her, especially her "mother", who was already putting the clothes he'd sewn for her onto her pudgy body. The one he was currently putting her in was an ice-blue dress trimmed with lace of a darker blue color, and little white socks with tiny bunnies on the ankles. She looked positively adorable.

As she squirmed and looked at the four men around her—Alfred, Matthew, Arthur, and Francis—for the first time, everyone seemed to melt at the utterly cute expression of awe and confusion on her face.

"We should be getting home," Matthew said decidedly after a little while. "Francis and Cassandra need to rest and I want to make sure everything's set up for her."

Alfred nodded as he and his own lover bid the new family goodbye, waving until they were completely out of sight.

Once they were gone, Alfred turned to Arthur and leaned down, enveloping his lips in a soft, loving kiss. He ran his fingers over his lover's huge stomach and sighed against his lips as he pulled away.

"Love you, Artie," he murmured, making the Brit blush and sputter.

"I-I love you, t-too, Alfred," Arthur mumbled, his pale cheeks burning the color of apples.

Alfred laughed loudly, and Arthur's blush got deeper.

**One week later…**

Arthur's eyes snapped open calmly as the very first rays of morning light flowed into his and Alfred's bedroom. He looked over his shoulder at the sleeping American, letting a soft smile come to his face before he got out of bed and began to dress as quietly as he could. Then he crept downstairs, grabbed a house key and a few towels, and fled toward the beach. That itching feeling he'd had for days finally made sense now. His body had been telling the one thing he'd been waiting months to hear.

"It's time," he whispered happily to himself, rubbing his huge bump softly as he strolled quickly down sleepy, half-lit streets. There was barely anybody awake at this hour, except for the occasional workaholic sneaking out of their house, but he doubted that they noticed him walking toward the beach.

When he arrived, Arthur wasn't at all surprised to find it completely empty, but just to be on the safe side, he made his way to the tall, grass-covered dunes just beyond the huge pile of rocks to his right. He spent a good twenty minutes searching for a comfortable spot to lie down in, and he eventually found a small clearing with soft sand and very tall grass. He discarded his clothes and kept the towels nearby, lying down in the sand and panting softly as he felt some kind of—natural, to him—change start to take over his body.

Arthur was glowing from the waist down, yet his legs weren't turning into a tail. He was confused for a moment, but quickly shoved it aside when he felt a lot of movement in his swollen abdomen, and a great deal of discomfort—but not pain—take over his body.

_Just relax, _he thought to himself as he tried to prepare his body for what was about to happen. _Okay? Relax… Think of the sea. Yes… The sea…beautiful, large, blue, and free as can be…my sea…_

These thoughts worked as Arthur took a deep breath and started to push. His lower body was still glowing for some reason, but in a way, he knew it would help him give birth, so he didn't worry about it. He pushed hard, keeping his breathing as even as he could and keeping his muscles as he relaxed as he could. But, as he felt the head start to push through—though through what, he wasn't sure, as he was pretty sure his manhood was gone for the moment—his thoughts of the sea stopped working, and he tried to think of something else comforting.

_My mother, _he thought, pushing once more; the entire head would be out with just one more push. _She'd tell me to stay calm, stay strong… Not just for my sake, but her hers, the baby's, and Alfred's…_

Arthur gave a few more great, _very _uncomfortable pushes before he heard soft wails come into the air. He knew they couldn't be his own, since he'd been trying very hard to keep himself quiet throughout the whole thing. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, he leaned down and reached into the glow, taking hold of his baby and pulling it up to his face. He cleaned it off and wrapped it in a towel. He didn't have to worry about an umbilical cord because there wasn't one. His heart was beating fast and his breathing was very uneven; he was sure his face was red, his skin was prickled with sweat, and his hair was sticking to his skin, but as he stared down at his baby, he couldn't've cared less. His lower body was still glowing though…

"A girl," he said softly to himself, soothing her cries as she squirmed and tested out her new ability to kick freely and not hurt her "mother". "Just like Francis…"

As Arthur cuddled her, though, he suddenly felt more movement within him, and his eyes widened in horror. "More…?" he muttered in a shocked, choked voice. "There's _more_…?"

Arthur yelped and placed the baby girl very close to him in the sand as he felt the other baby start to arrive. His body still glowing, he started to push again, his soft pants turning into slightly harsh, labored breaths. The uncomfortable feeling was slowly becoming pain, but Arthur forged on, gasping, gritting his teeth, and pushing as much as he could. He wasn't even trying to go back to his relaxing thoughts now, because he could only think about his babies at the moment. Their health, their lives… He wanted them safe and healthy, regardless of what happened to him.

More cries filled the air and Arthur reached down and lifted up this one too. His limbs were weak, trembling, and his eyes were half-lidded from exhaustion, but a weak smile came to his face as he wiped off his new baby boy and kissed his forehead.

"My son," he breathed, picking up his daughter as well. He held them both to his chest and gladly gave them his love. "My daughter…my babies…"

However…

"No," he said in utter disbelief as he stared down at his bump. "How…?"

He put his son and his daughter next to him, keeping an eye on them as he started to push again.

**A few hours later…**

By noon, Arthur had brought another boy and another girl into the world. He was surprised he was still alive, in all honesty, but that didn't matter. After he'd given birth to his last son, his last daughter already here, the glow had consumed his body completely, and when he'd opened his eyes, he'd seen that he no longer had a large stomach, but that he was slender once more. He wasn't as tired, and his manhood had returned to him. He'd no longer felt the itching to be near the sea. Instead, he itched to protect his children and return to his lover.

Arthur cleaned himself off and redressed slowly, feeling small aches here and there. Then, as he reached for one of his four children, all still wriggling on the ground, he heard a familiar voice.

"See, Calder? I told ya we left too late!" Aiden pouted and crossed his arms as he and the other Kirkland brothers appeared at the top of one of the dunes that Arthur had been hiding behind. "He's already given birth!"

"Well, we can at least help him carry them back to Alfred," William said as he lifted one of Arthur's two daughters into his arms carefully. "Don't worry, little one. You're safe."

"How'd you know?" Arthur asked softly, still tired from all the hours he'd spent birthing his four babies.

"Instinct, wee brother," Calder said with a smirk. "Instinct."

Aiden and Braeden picked up the boys and Calder picked up Arthur's other daughter. Arthur smiled, grateful to them, and followed them back to his home.

**Meanwhile…**

Alfred was pacing in his living room, alone in his house. He knew where Arthur was, given last week's events, and right now, he felt like he was in a waiting room at the hospital. He was filled with so many worries, so many anxieties.

_What if Artie didn't make it? What if the baby didn't make it? What if neither of them made it? Then what will I do? I can't imagine life without Arthur! I love him!_

Alfred was pulled from his thoughts as someone opened the door. He looked up at the Kirkland brothers, relieved to see Arthur among them, but he was also relieved to see his two daughters and his two sons with them.

**A/N: MORE CELEBRATION TIME!/PAY ATTENTION!:**

**Celebration: Yes, Artie had his babies…FOUR OF THEM! In other words, Arthur had quadruplets. Two boys and two girls. *Gets shiny-eyed* I'm so proud…**

**Pay Attention: I know I said this would be the last chapter, but it looks like there's gonna be one more, and then I'll start writing the third installment in the series.**

**Also, I just wanted you guys to know that you're all awesome! Love you! Bye!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, my dears.**

Chapter 18

Calder and Aiden helped Arthur into bed for some rest while William and Alfred took care of the babies. Alfred didn't know how to feel; he loved his new children—what kind of monster would he be if he didn't?—but he was also terrified, because now that he and Arthur had four kids, _would they ever even have time to themselves_?! He sighed and looked down at the daughters in his arms. None of his children had opened their eyes yet, which he found a little disappointing, but he knew it'd be worth it when they did. He smiled and held the writhing babies against his warm body, cooing to them sweetly.

"Well, congratulations," Calder mumbled half-heartedly. "Yer a dad now."

"Oh, Cal, don't be that way!" William said, glaring at the redhead. He turned back to the American and offered him a gentle smile. "It's not as bad as one of these guys may make it sound. Sure, it's a lot of hard work, but it's very worth it."

Alfred wordlessly nodded and went back to his daughters. His sons were in the arms of their uncles, being whispered to in a language Alfred knew nothing about, so he decided that he would speak to his daughters first before their uncles seized them up as well.

"Hey," he cooed as their eyes began to creep open. His heart sped up as he saw the first traces of emerald-green and ocean-blue. "Hi there. Remember me? Hmm?"

The first one of his daughters to get her eyes completely open had milky skin and short strands of platinum-blonde hair. Her eyes were a beautiful emerald-green, just like Arthur's. His other daughter had the beginnings of soft, golden brown curls, and her eyes matched his own sea color. They stared up at him for a moment, remembering his voice from a moment ago, and then they let out happy squeals and reached eagerly for him.

"My girls," he whispered, kissing their foreheads. "My Sea Princesses…"

"Oi!" Calder glared down at the oblivious American, resisting the urge to smack the back of his head. "We need ta see the lil' girls now, got it?"

Alfred looked up at them with a sigh, but wordlessly handed over his daughters, who seemed confused at the prospect of being handed to supposed-strangers; however, neither sobbed. In return, Alfred received his sons, both of whom had their eyes already open.

One boy had soft, fine black hair, and Arthur's vibrant, determined green eyes. The other bore a great resemblance to Alfred, with the sandy-blonde hair color and the sea-blue eyes he owned. They seemed to already know who Alfred was—maybe the Kirkland brothers had told them in that mysterious language—and, like their sisters before them, they eagerly reached for their father.

Alfred grinned and hugged them close to him. _Yeah, I can totally get used to this…_

**Meanwhile…**

"Oh, hello _preziosa bambina_!" Feliciano cooed as he held Francis' giggling daughter in his arms. He felt his own baby kick within the confines of its temporary home, and he smiled gently. "You're so pretty! Isn't she, Luddy?"

"_Ja_, she is," Ludwig agreed with a genuine smile, imagining that Feliciano was holding their own baby in his arms. _Just a few more months_, he reminded himself calmly.

Francis blushed and smiled, shaking his head modestly—or at least, what he hoped was _modestly_. _"Mes amis, s'il vous plait!" _At his side, Matthew rolled his eyes, but smiled nonetheless. "You're too kind!"

"Feliciano and I brought you something," Ludwig said as he handed Mattie a white present bag with hot pink tissue paper in it. "He said you might like it."

Matthew dug through the tissue paper, smiling when he pulled out a pale pink baby blanket lined with light blue satin, wrapped around a copy of the family-oriented version _Grimms Fairytales_. "Thanks—"

"_Oh, mon Dieu!" _Francis smiled and flipped through the fairly large book, his eyes glassy with memories. "I love this thing! I remembered when Gaul used to take me to the Library of Legends in Atlantis and read this to me all day! _Merci!_"

Cassandra, having discovered Feliciano's hair, laughed and reached up, yanking on his curl. The Italian's eyes widened and his cheeks became the color of the blanket he'd just handed over. He quickly gave the giggling Cassandra back to her father and nudged Ludwig's arm.

"What is it, Feli?" Ludwig looked down at his lover curiously, noting the sparking eyes and the flushed cheeks. Had the baby—

"Well, we should probably put Cassie here down for her nap," Matthew said, watching Feliciano squirm and the baby rub her eyes. "It was nice seeing you guys, though."

"_Ja_, it was," Ludwig agreed as he stood, Feliciano half-hiding behind him. "Besides, I have to get home and pay the water bill. Goodbye."

And the German man left with his aroused and embarrassed Italian lover.

**Meanwhile…**

Arthur stirred a little in his sleep before slowly opening his hazy green eyes. He quickly shielded them from the bright sunlight pouring in through the bedroom window and sat up, yawning. As an instinct, he reached down to put a hand on his swollen stomach, only to find that it was no longer swollen, but as flat and taut as it'd been when he'd first met Alfred. His eyes widened in fear, as he didn't understand what was going on, since his mind was a bit drowsy and slow this afternoon from this morning's tiring events. He grabbed at the bed sheets, looking around frantically, before loudly calling out for his lover.

"Alfred! Alfred!"

The American ran in, holding one of his daughters—the blue-eyed one—and one of his sons—the green-eyed one—in his arms. He looked around the room quickly, spotting Arthur, but no danger. He relaxed and smiled, walking over to the calming merman, who was now starting to remember what'd happened this morning.

"Oh, dear Poseidon…" Arthur's words were merely breathed out as he was handed the green-eyed son he brought into this world. He looked at the baby girl in Alfred's arms, and then at the boy in his, confusion replacing his awe and love. "Weren't there more…?"

"The other two are downstairs, napping on your brothers. We're going to need a second crib you know, since we only bought one. We can keep the girls in the yellow one and buy a blue one for the boys, okay?"

Arthur nodded and turned his attention back to one of his sons. He smiled and rocked the boy, giving him a small kiss on the forehead. "What should we name them?"

"I was thinking about that," Alfred said softly as he watched Arthur act very motherly toward their son. "So how about I name the ones we're holding now, and you can name the ones downstairs, okay?"

Arthur chuckled and leaned up, giving his lover a kiss on the cheek. "That sounds great, love."

Alfred smiled and walked downstairs with Arthur at his side. Calder was gently holding the platinum-haired girl and William was cradling the mini-Alfred. Aiden and Braeden were leaning against each other on the couch, as sound asleep as their niece and nephew.

"Hey, Artie," William whispered as he stood up slowly, positioning Little Alfred so he could give his brother a one-armed hug. "How are you?"

"I feel much better now, thank you," Arthur said with a reassuring smile and a nod. "But I believe it's time to name them. So could you…?"

"Oh, sure!" William nodded and ushered the two into the kitchen. "Give me and Calder a second to get everyone up, 'kay?"

**A few minutes later…**

Everyone sat in the kitchen, the babies squirming in the arms of their parents. Calder was leaning against the refrigerator, William was seated between Arthur and Alfred, and Aiden and Braeden were more or less half-asleep.

"So, what're we callin' the lil' things?" Calder asked, picking at his nails.

"Well, I wanted to call this sweetie Amy Rose Jones-Kirkland"—Alfred held up the baby girl with blue eyes, who squirmed and giggled loudly at her father, tugging on his finger. "And this little boy will be named Logan Will Jones-Kirkland."

"'Will'?" William smiled and shook his head. "I'm flattered…"

Calder snorted and looked away, and it seemed that the twins were finally starting to wake up.

"And this little darling," Arthur began as he cuddled his platinum-haired daughter, "will be Eden May Jones-Kirkland, and her last sibling will be Peter Maxwell Jones-Kirkland." It had taken every ounce of willpower Arthur had not to name the boy Alfred Jr.

**Later…**

Alfred went out and bought a crib not long after Arthur had—embarrassingly—breastfed their just-named children, and he'd put it together in record time. Arthur's brothers, after many heartfelt—or at least as heartfelt as Kirklands can be—goodbyes, returned to the sea and their own families.

Arthur sat curled up against Alfred, on the couch, their sleeping children nestled safely in their cribs for the night. A baby monitor was on the coffee table in front of them, but the only sounds that could be heard from it were the occasional blankets rustling and the soft breathing of their babies.

"I love you, Arthur," Alfred said, staring deeply into Arthur's jade orbs. There was nothing but seriousness and adoration in the American's voice, because for once, he wasn't being playful, or teasing. He'd never sounded more serious in his life. Yes, all the times he'd said he loved Arthur before were pure and true, but he'd always said them with a laughing edge. Now, he didn't. "And I love our babies, too."

Arthur wiped a small tear from his eye and kissed Alfred gently. "I love you, too, my darling, and them. You're my family, and I'll always love you."

As Arthur curled up with Alfred, he found himself unable to believe that he'd been _afraid_ of humans. He found himself unable to believe that almost a year ago, all he'd cared about was the sea, its wonders, its treasures.

_I have my treasure, _he thought happily, lacing his fingers with Alfred's as they watched TV. _My treasure beyond the sea…_

**A/N: Yeah, I know, totally cheesy ending, but I'm just a sucker for those things. Anyway, this was the last chapter of this one and now I can get to work on the third one! Yay!**

**Oh, and sorry for the shortness. Short and sweet though…**

**Oh, and I wanted to thank you guys for the positive feedback and the encouragement. You're all awesome, really, and I love you all! Thank you so much! Bye! See you soon!**


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